Fire and Blood
by Copper Moon
Summary: Sequel to Sun and Rain. Just when the Sanzo party thinks they're back on their way, they again encounter their two female friends. With Homura's and Kougaiji's group both after them, will they ever discover the mystery behind the pair? Hakkai/OC, Gojyo/OC
1. Chapter 1

CM: Okay, so you thought it was over did you? Well it's not over. Not by a long shot. There WILL be MORE action, adventure, fluff, humor, and lots of angst. We present to you....

**_Fire and Blood_**

Disclaimer: We don't own this anime or its characters. We only wish. Sigh....

**_Prelude:_** _Love was something I could never win. Even my own mother never gave it to me. Not that it was something I ever actually wanted. As far as women went, they were more for entertainment than anything else. I never thought there would be one that I would actually fear to lose. I try to speak with her, but my words don't seem to reach her. She wants to kill me. I can see it in her eyes. She has the same frenzied eyes that my mother bore when she wrapped her hands around my neck in an attempt to take my life so many years ago. I was willing to die back then, just to stop her tears. Right now, I feel the same. …I feel like dying._

**_Reunification – A Chance Meeting_**

In a small town completely surrounded by mountains and forest, a strange man appeared with unnatural beauty and deep set, blue eyes. He headed for the inn upon his arrival saying hi to those he passed.

"Setsuna...is that you?" one of the villagers asked in surprise.

"It sure has been awhile hasn't it," another one said with a smile.

"Welcome back Setsuna."

He nodded his head at their greetings and continued to walk toward the inn. Once he reached it he spotted a doctor coming out of a room and sigh. "Is there something wrong?" Setsuna asked curiously.

"Ah...Setsuna," the doctor exclaimed spying the man. "Unfortunately yes there is. Yuzuna is in bad shape...I'm afraid there's not much more I can do."

"How's _she_ taking this?" Setsuna asked.

"Not very well I'm afraid," the doctor told him seriously. "The two of them took off about a month ago."

"They _both_ left?!" Setsuna exclaimed. The doctor nodded sadly before walking past Setsuna patting him on the shoulder as he went. "Why did you two take off now...of all times?" Setsuna asked to the empty space. "With both of you reaching that point...now is the most dangerous time for you. If you had stayed I would have been able to help you both before _they_ found you. Now there's no question...you two _will_ be hunted."

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A few thousand miles away.....

It was a windy afternoon as two hooded figures walked down a busy street drawing stares as they went. "Okay so we have enough money for some supplies and a room for the night…other than that we really don't have much," one of the new people spoke. "Here why don't you take the largest chunk and see about our supplies. I'll go acquire a room for the night." The second one nodded and took the offered money then they split and went in separate directions.

The first hooded figure went into the only inn in town and walked up to the front desk. "I don't suppose you have a room for two available do you?" the stranger asked the innkeeper.

"As a matter of fact, we do," the woman said in an overly cheerful manner. "How long will you be staying for?"

"Just for tonight," the stranger replied.

"Alright, your room shall be upstairs, the second on the right," the woman said handing the person a key.

"Thank you," the stranger said politely. "Would it be possible to get two glasses of water while I'm here?"

"Of course I'll have someone bring it out," the woman replied.

"Thanks again," the stranger said before taking a seat at a lone table. The stranger sat at the table for some time after a waitress brought the waters. When the stranger started feeling a bit antsy a loud voice floated over the inn to his seat.

"Hey there where are you sleeping tonight?"

"Um…I don't think I should tell you that."

"Why not I'm a nice gu…OUCH!!"

The red-headed half demon stood up and looked around angrily. "Alright, who's the wise guy who threw that?" He glanced around and spotted the cloaked figure that had just come in and strode over to him. "Hey buddy, you got a problem with me or something?"

The stranger stood up slowly not wanting to put the half demon on edge. "Yeah as a matter of fact I do, Sha Gojyo," she said pulling her hood off her head. "You really should learn how to leave women alone when they don't want to have anything to do with your pervertedness."

Gojyo gaped at the person. "The hell? No way…"

The other cloaked person wandered about town looking for good produce. So far they had managed to by a big bag's worth of fruits and bread. "I wonder if they have a sweets shop anywhere," they thought as they rounded a corner.

*Oomph* "Oh I'm terribly sorry," a soft voice said as a young man with green eyes bent down to help pick up the fallen produce.

"It's alright I should have been paying attention," the stranger quickly said grabbing for the food. Once it was all packed up the two stood up and the strangers hood fell off. "Thanks for the help," she said smiling.

"Well, I'll be," the young man said stunned.

"Cho Hakkai!" The girl exclaimed seeing his face. "I never would have expected to find you here."

"Nor I you," he admitted, though he couldn't say that he wasn't overjoyed by the encounter. "Honestly, I didn't expect to see you out here at all." She nodded.

"Understandable. It's been a while hasn't it?"

"At least a couple months."

"Care to do some catching up? I was just doing some shopping."

"I would love to. It just so happens I'm also in need of supplies." And with that, the two happily made their way down the market place.

"What in the world are you doing out here?" Gojyo shouted pointing a finger at the strawberry blond in shock. "Didn't you live in that hole of a village?"

"It's good to see you too," Ran replied shaking her head. "Just because I lived there doesn't mean I'm not allowed to leave."

"Ran, I thought that was you," Goku exclaimed running up and giving her a hug. "Here's your hammer."

"Thanks Goku I was just about to go and get it."

"So, you just couldn't get enough of me the first time, is that it?" Gojyo said recovering from his surprise and putting on his usual cocky grin.

"Hardly," Ran said rolling her eyes.

"Does that mean Karin's with you too?" Goku asked excitedly, looking around as if to see the dark haired girl appear any second.

"Well, she's out doing shopping right now, but she shouldn't be gone for too long."

"So how the heck did you two manage to get out here?" Gojyo asked her.

"Pardon my asking," Hakkai asked Karin as they looked at the display of fish. "But I'm curious as to the reason why I've been graced with the opportunity to see you again."

"Well I suppose I should start at the beginning," Karin said scratching her cheek.

*Flashback*

~After you all left, the village was doing rather well. Even though the cold season was moving in, we had enough harvest from the last several months to last us. But with the bad weather, came bad news.~

"I'm afraid your condition is worsening Yuzuna," the doctor told the inn keeper as Karin stood outside listening in.

"How bad are we talking?" Yuzuna said impatiently.

"The build up in your lungs has accumulated drastically over this past year," the doctor explained. "And your smoking hasn't helped matters."

"Yeah, yeah, you still haven't told me how bad it is," Yuzuna said with annoyance.

"To be honest you only have 3-4 months left before this disease fully engulfs your lungs and ultimately kills you," the doctor said using as blunt a tone as she could to get the meaning fully across.

"Is there a cure?" Yuzuna asked.

"None that we know of…I'm sorry."

"I see… thank you doctor."

Meanwhile, Karin sat outside the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.

~I didn't know what to do. But then I remembered something that Kusuma had told me.~

"There's a fruit that can save your aunt. It only grows in the far reaches of India."

~It was then I decided, that I would leave the village and find the cure for myself.~

*End Flashback*

Karin looked up at Hakkai with sad but unwavering eyes. "So you're headed for India to save your aunt?" Hakkai verified.

"Yeah, Ran came too. She said she really wanted to help but I think part of it was she was bored."

"Kyou!" Hakuryuu chirruped.

Karin's eyes widened and she huggled Hakuryuu affectionately. "I missed you too!" Hakkai smiled warmly as he watched her. He hadn't realized it until now… but he truly had missed her company.

"All in all I left because I was bored," Ran shrugged as she finished telling them why she left.

"So Auntie is really sick?" Goku asked saddened.

"Yeah but no worries, Karin knows of a cure and that's where we're headed."

"Okay so how did you guys get here so fast?" Gojyo asked confused.

"We walked," Ran answered. She saw the dubious look on Gojyo's face so she added,

"Okay so after about a week we rented a car. Until then we were walking though. In fact we had the jeep right up until we got here."

"What happened?" Goku asked curiously.

*Flashback*

~Well we were doing just fine until we reached that large canyon right before this town~ Ran began laughing slightly as she spoke.

"According to the map we should reach a town after a large canyon with a small bridge that runs across," Karin said looking at the map they had purchased while Ran drove.

"Okay, so how much farther is this canyon? We don't have much gas left and once it runs out we'll be in trouble," Ran said looking down at the gage.

"It should be just up ahead, give or take ten more miles," Karin provided. Ten minutes later they caught sight of the canyon but that wasn't the only thing they saw. "What is THAT?" Karin asked.

"Great, JUST what we need," Ran groaned.

A hoard of at least 300 demons was standing at the edge of the canyon. "Well I've got an idea...I'm going to keep driving. Think you can pick off the ones that grab a hold of the car?" Ran asked placing one hand on the stick.

"I suppose there is no other alternative. We could always ask them to let us by," Karin suggested.

"Judging by the looks on their faces…I'd say that's not going to happen," Ran replied flooring the gas pedal.

The dirt kicked up and they shot forward at full speed. When the demons saw what was headed their way, many scramble to get out of their path. Others were stupid enough to try to attack them but Karin kept them at bay. They managed to soar over the canyon edge…. Only to find there was no bridge.

"Hey Karin?" Ran asked calmly. "I thought you said there was supposed to be a bridge."

"Hold on, let me double check," Karin said unfolding the map and glancing through it. "According to this there should be one."

"Oh wait, I think I see it hanging off the opposite edge there."

"Well then, shall we make the jump?" They talked as if they were discussing something as dull as the weather.

Ran and Karin both unbuckled their seat belts, climbed onto their seats and leapt out of the car into the air. They landed on the wall on the opposite end of the canyon. "How you doin' Karin?" Ran asked clinging onto the wall with everything she had.

"Oh you know, just hanging out," Karin said with a laugh.

Ran scowled at Karin's joke. "Oh haha, now come on." And the two began to climb up the canyon wall.

"So, who do you think destroyed the bridge?" Karin asked conversationally.

"I dunno, but whoever it is, they are so going to be dead when I find them," Ran replied through gritted teeth.

*End Flashback*

Gojyo and Goku exchanged a couple nervous glances that Ran caught quite easily. "You guys wouldn't happen to know what happened to the bridge do you?" Ran asked lacing her fingers together persuasively.

"Uh…no what would make you think we know?" Gojyo asked shooting a 'shut up' glance at Goku.

"So we destroyed the bridge, what of it?" a ticked off voice said from behind Gojyo.

"Oh hey Sanzo I didn't see you there," Ran greeted warmly.

"I thought we got rid of you two in that back water town."

"You can't get rid of us that easily," Ran declared grinning.

"Well, it seems that you all found Ran already," Hakkai stated amiably as he and Karin walked through the door burdened with groceries.

"Karin!" Goku exclaimed happily and glomped the girl.

"It's good to see you too, Goku," Karin laughed after she had managed to keep the goods from tumbling to the floor with Hakkai's help.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Ran said standing up to greet her. She helped Karin put some of the food on the table and handed her the other glass of water. "Good to see you again Hakkai…I hope you've been well."

"And the same to you," Hakkai said with a nod and a smile.

They all sat down and had a pleasant meal with each other, Gojyo and Goku fighting over the food as per usual and Sanzo getting angered enough to fire a bullet at them. "Be careful how much you feed Hakuryuu," Hakkai playfully warned Karin after the third time that she slipped the dragon some of her food. "If you're not careful you might spoil him."

"I can't say no to him though," she said holding up a piece of cake in front of Hakuryuu. "He's just too cute."

"I really missed having her around," Hakkai thought chuckling at her fawning over Hakuryuu.

"Don't be too surprised Hakkai," Ran whispered noticing his expression. "She's a major sucker for cute things."

"Did I just hear you say that I'm cute?" Gojyo asked breaking off his fight with Goku and sliding in closer. "I thank you for the complement."

"No Gojyo you must have been hearing Karin talking about Hakuryuu," Ran answered rolling her eyes.

"Hey Ran, didn't you say you guys lost your car in the canyon?" Goku asked through a mouthful of food.

Sanzo hit him over the head with a fan. "Swallow first and then talk. Do you really think I want to see your half chewed food flying all over the place?"

"That's right," Ran said taking another bite. "Which reminds me…we need to find another mode of transportation Karin," she said turning to her friend.

"I know but where are we going to find something out here?" Karin asked realistically.

"Well you could always come with us," Gojyo suggested hopefully.

"That's right you guys do have Hakuryuu," Ran agreed thoughtfully. "And we are going in the same direction."

"Not a chance," Sanzo muttered lighting up a cigarette.

"Why not, Sanzo?" Goku asked.

"I said 'no'," Sanzo replied unwaveringly. "I don't need extra luggage to haul across the country."

"Hey who are you calling luggage?" Ran asked slightly offended. "You aren't suggesting that we're going to get in your way are you?"

"Well the two of you weren't exactly expert fighters the last time we saw you," Gojyo said thinking back.

"Yeah, you guys kind of did stink," Goku added.

"Yeah but that was about…2 months ago. If you saw us fight now you'd be blown away."

All the guys looked completely dubious. Even Hakkai didn't seem all that convinced. "Although I'm sure you both are… adequate, we usually fight demons on a daily basis."

"In other words, it might be a tad bit too difficult for you two to handle," Gojyo finished.

Ran frowned seeing that they weren't going to buy it unless they saw it first hand. "Whatever…just wait until the next time we fight and you'll see what I'm talking about. Right Karin?" Ran declared grinning.

"Um…yeah whatever you say Ran," Karin stated all her focus on the dragon.

Ran shook her head before standing up, "Well I'm done. I'll be up in the room if you need me Karin." With that she handed Karin the key to the room and whispered what number it was so Gojyo wouldn't catch it and then headed up the stairs.

Karin stayed downstairs for a while, listening to Goku tell stories about all the adventures the group had after leaving the village. As she reached for the sake bottle, her hand ran into Hakkai's and they both exchanged embarrassed smiles. "Would you like a drink?" he offered.

She nodded. "Yes, please."

Hakkai gently poured her some sake and then poured some for himself. "So now you know what's happened to us…I assume that you and Ran had some interesting adventures since leaving your home," Hakkai guessed wanting to hear more about them.

"We've certainly had some… experiences," Karin said with a soft laugh. "We've run into our share of demons, both human and non. After all, two traveling women of completely separate trades attracts quite a bit of attention."

"I'm not surprised," Hakkai commented with a laugh. "I just find it absolutely amazing that you two have traveled this far."

"Yeah really…especially with Ran and her tendency to say exactly what she thinks," Gojyo agreed shaking his head. "I'll bet she got the two of you into so much trouble on the way."

"Hehe, well, that's not entirely untrue. Though I've gotten us in a few jams myself," Karin admitted.

"You are pretty naïve," Gojyo agreed with a nod.

Karin blushed. "Gomen."

"I can't take this anymore," Sanzo muttered getting up from the table. He then went up the stairs to his room.

"I was wondering something…that Ran didn't explain very well," Gojyo said ignoring Sanzo completely. "How did you catch up with us so fast?"

"Well," Karin began."

*Flashback*

"Come on Ran!" Karin called back from behind her.

"Where do you get all your energy," Ran asked wanting to take a break. Normally she had good stamina, but they had been walking for days ever since they left the village.

"The next town is only four more miles!" Karin said bouncing on the balls of her feet to keep herself moving. "Let's go."

"That's what you said 5 miles ago," Ran muttered as sweat beaded her face. They hadn't had water in three hours and Ran was starting to feel the effects of dehydration. "Are you sure you're reading that map right?"

"Um…" Karin glanced at the map and her face fell slightly. "Whoops."

"What?" Ran asked.

"It seems we took a wrong turn somewhere," Karin said with a nervous laugh. "We might have to do a bit of back tracking."

"How much backtracking are we talking?" Ran inquired, dread filling her voice.

"Um, 10 miles… give or take two."

"10…miles?" Ran stammered feeling very irritated at this point.

"Oh it's not quite that far," an old man cut in as he landed nearby with a dragon. "It's only about 5 miles if you head directly south."

"Really? Thanks buddy," Ran said her irritation fading away.

"You two look tired," The man said noticing there weary faces and there low provisions. "Why don't I give you two a ride?"

"Really?" Karin asked excited at the prospect of riding a dragon.

The man nodded. "Where is it you're headed?"

"West."

"We're trying to reach India," Ran clarified.

"Oh that's a lot farther than where I'm headed…but I will be stopping somewhere farther to the west. If you don't mind a ride only part of the way I'd be glad to take you two ladies," the old man said smiling.

"Thanks a lot…you just saved us a ton of time."

*Flashback ends*

"And that's pretty much how it went," Karin wrapped up. "Once we reached the town, we managed to get lucky enough to get a vehicle that was owned by a demon who went berserk and he gave it to us as thanks for stopping him from hurting his family."

"And where was that town?" Hakkai asked.

"Oh it was the town just before this one," Karin explained.

"So you guys lost your car…with just one drive?" Gojyo asked snickering. "I thought you taught her how to drive Hakkai."

"Well, it was only one lesson," he said in his defense. "And I honestly never thought she would end up putting it to use anytime in the near future."

Karin yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. It was great talking to you guys. See you in the morning."

"Would the lady like an escort to her room?" Gojyo offered suavely.

"Well, I wasn't planning on it but… that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Hey Goku, want to be my escort?" Karin asked innocently.

Gojyo's mouth dropped open in shock as Goku happily excepted and Hakkai held back his laughter. As soon as Karin and Goku disappeared upstairs Hakkai shook his head and chuckled, "You really got shot down there didn't you, Gojyo."

"The sad part is… she wasn't even aiming," Gojyo muttered sitting back in his chair with his drink.

"Well, I think it's a good thing," Hakkai continued. "I'm sure that if you went up to their room Ran might not take to you being there all too kindly."

"Heh, you're probably right," Gojyo said with a private smile.

"You seem in an awful good mood tonight," Hakkai commented.

"I could say the same for you," Gojyo returned.

"You think so?" Hakkai asked smiling. "I think it's the appearance of our lovely ladies that has brightened our moods," Hakkai added with a smile.

"Yeah…it is nice to have a woman around at this time of night," Gojyo stated grinning. "Well I think I'll head to bed too…who knows maybe I'll have more luck tomorrow."

"That's a bet not even I would make," Hakkai laughed.

"You know, sometimes you can be pretty cold," Gojyo remarked.

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CM: Yay! They're reunited! But how long will it last? And just HOW MUCH has changed? Stay tuned!


	2. Take That

**_Take that! – New Traveling Companions_**

*CRASH* Ran woke with a start as she heard something very close shatter. "Karin you awake?" she whispered into the darkened room.

"Yeah…what was that?" Karin answered back curiously.

"We got you now Sanzo party…we've got this place surrounded. Hand over the Maten scripture though and we might just let you live," a voice shouted from outside.

"Oh man…its demons. Why did they have to interrupt my sleep?" Ran muttered pulling her clothes on.

"Hey Karin, you coming?"

"Mmm…" Karin moaned as she pushed herself out of bed. Slowly she walked over to Ran, her face hidden in shadow.

"I know you don't want to deal with this right now but you can take your anger out on these demons," Ran told her cautiously.

As soon as they got outside the room they ran into Gojyo, Hakkai and the others. "Let's just fight them already," Goku exclaimed as hyperactive as always.

"Why don't you boys take a load off and let me and Karin take care of this," Ran suggested with a grin. "Besides these guys look like the demons we passed through on our way here."

"Tch, whatever," Sanzo said lightning up a smoke and leaning back against the wall. "Just don't come crying back afterwards."

"Ran, we appreciate the thought, but perhaps it would just be best if you both went back inside," Hakkai told her politely.

"This isn't the time to be showing off," Gojyo told her. "So just sit back and let us do the exterminating."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing you guys fight," Goku said excitedly. Karin walked wordlessly past all of them, her hair hiding her face in shadow, as she walked calmly towards the hoard of demons.

"Karin, are you okay?" Hakkai asked slightly worried. Karin didn't answer but kept walking toward the front of the inn.

"Um…talking to her right now isn't the best idea," Ran said slowly.

"Why not?" Goku asked.

"Because she get's in a really bad mood when woken up in the middle of the night...and almost anything will set her off," Ran explained shaking her head. "Anyway this will be over in no time so don't worry." Then she ran past them to catch up with Karin as they walked out the door to meet the demons. "So Karin ready to show these guys what we're made of?" Ran asked bringing her right hand over her shoulder like she was grabbing for something.

Karin responded to Ran's question by crossing her arms in front of her chest. Then two weapons materialized in her hands; a double bladed sword in the right, and a chakram in the left. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," Ran sighed.

"Hey, you're not part of the Sanzo party! Just who the hell are you two?" The lead demon asked.

"We're two innocent young girls that you morons woke up in your attempt to get to them," Ran replied slightly irritated.

"So the Sanzo party's sending girls out to fight their battles for them?" one asked scathingly.

"No we decided to do this on our own," Ran replied cracking her neck.

"You're annoying," Karin growled making the demons glance at her in confusion.

"*sigh* So you ready to get this started Karin?" Ran asked feeling like she should take a couple steps to the side.

Karin didn't answer, instead she took a step forward before moving faster than the eye could see slicing demons as she went. "Starting without me again…you really must be ticked at these guys," Ran chuckled with a shake of her head. Then without further ado she pulled out a large war hammer that had an axe on one end and a hammer on the other. Then she too joined in the fray smashing and slashing demons right and left.

"Whoa!" Goku said eyes growing wide. "They're so cool!"

Hakkai and Gojyo were nearly struck speechless. "Well I'll be damned," Gojyo muttered.

"Their fighting skills are on a whole other level from when we last saw them," Hakkai observed. He paid particular attention to Karin, managing to keep track of her movements. His eyes widened slightly when he realized how she was managing it. 'She's channeling her chi through her legs and using it to speed up her movements. She was able to take what I taught her and make it her own. Amazing.'

"Well, I must say, Ran's certainly upgraded. At least she's not fighting with a stoker," Gojyo commented.

"Heh," Sanzo grunted focusing on his cigarette. They continued to watch the fight both in awe and in amusement.

"So how did we do?" Ran asked once all the demons had been beaten. She looked up at the group of guys with a triumphant grin on her face.

"That was so…cool," Goku shouted running up to her. "When did you get that hammer?"

"My dad made it for me," Ran explained pulling it off her shoulder to show him.

"Wow," Goku breathed completely blown away.

"Did he happen to make Karin's weapons too?" Hakkai asked coming toward her.

"Yeah, special request from Auntie," Ran replied with a small chuckle. "When we heard about it we were really surprised." Karin walked in at that point, her face still covered in shadow, and she marched past everyone without a word only to tumble into bed as soon as she made it to the room.

"Remind me never to come knocking on that girl's door in the middle of the night," Gojyo said scratching his head.

"I've never seen her like that before," Hakkai noted in wonderment.

"Hakkai! Did you see how fast she was going?" Goku said tugging on Hakkai's sleeve in order to get his attention. "She was like, zoom zoom, slash slash!"

"Shut up, you dumb monkey. You wanna wake the entire inn?" Gojyo asked.

"I think it's a little late for that at this point," Hakkai said laughing.

"Yeah but at least we can still get some sleep," Ran yawned putting her hammer away. She walked up the stairs and when she spotted Sanzo she grinned. "So…still think we're just extra luggage Sanzo?" she asked.

"You still can't come," Sanzo muttered.

"Ah, come on Sanzo it should be fun," Goku pleaded. "Besides if we get into a fight it'll be over that much quicker if they tag along."

"He does have a point. They did after all get rid of this entire hoard without having us lift a finger," Hakkai reminded him.

"I wouldn't mind having some female company around," Gojyo added.

"The answer is still no, and there's nothing any of you can say or do to change my mind," Sanzo said resolutely.

The next morning…

"Would you two hurry up?" Sanzo snapped from the passenger seat of the jeep.

"Sorry, your majesty, but some of us like to make sure our rooms are at least somewhat clean before we leave," Ran retorted jumping into the back of the jeep with Gojyo and Goku.

"That's right…it's rude to leave a mess," Karin agreed squeezing in between Hakkai and Sanzo in the front.

"That's what the cleaning crew if for," Gojyo said shaking his head.

"Yeah well I personally don't want the cleaning crew ticked at me in case I decide to come visit again sometime," Ran shot back.

"Well, it sounds like we're all ready to go," Hakkai said smiling. "Does everyone have there seatbelts on?"

"Just start driving," Sanzo said irately.

"Yes sir," Hakkai said starting the car. "Pardon me," he told Karin, reaching over her legs to shift the gears.

Gojyo happened to glance down at that moment and a twinge of jealousy shot through his body. "Lucky bastard. Man I wish that was me…with Ran in the center," he thought to himself as a smile appeared on his face.

"You sure seem to be in a good mood," Ran said glancing up at the smile on Gojyo's face. "Dreaming about some future date?"

"You could say that," he replied.

"Well, keep it to yourself. I'm not interested in what goes on in that perverted head of yours," Ran told him.

"Nah, you're more interested in downstairs, am I right?"

Ran sat there for several seconds taking deep breaths to keep herself in check. Then as she finally came up with something to respond with Sanzo turned and fired missing Gojyo by inches. "Hey watch where you're firing that thing," Gojyo shouted angrily.

"I refuse to hear that crap the entire way…so just keep it to yourself or we'll leave you as a bloody heap on the road."

'For once, I'm tempted to thank the guy,' Ran thought as she leaned her head back on the seat. Five hours later, Ran was ready to toss herself into the front of the going jeep and let it run her over.

"Can't you two go for five minutes without fighting?" Ran asked exasperated as she broke up what felt like the thousandth fight that day. "I don't know how you put up with it Hakkai."

"You just have to learn how to ignore them," Hakkai answered with a smile.

"Can you really do that?" Ran asked skeptically.

"Hmm…not really."

"Oh that helps so much," Ran muttered shaking her head.

"Hey Sanzo, I'm hungry," Goku said suddenly.

"Is food all you think about you stupid monkey?" Gojyo asked scathingly.

"Oh no, you're not starting that up again," Ran said glaring at the two.

"I think I have just the thing for you two," Karin said reaching into her bag and pulling out a bottle. Upon seeing it, Ran's eyebrows raised and the corner of her mouth lifted. "Here you go," she said handing them each a brown pill.

"What is it?" Goku asked curiously.

"It's a pill that acts as a full course meal. It's filled with all the vitamins you need for good health."

"I was never that big on health food," Gojyo said looking at the pill. "But, I could never refuse a gift from a cute girl."

"Well, I doubt it'll fill me up but it's the same color as meat so I'll give it a try." And with that, they both popped the pills into theirs mouths.

Ran closed her eyes and waited with a satisfied grin on her face. Seconds later Gojyo and Goku both fell unconscious leaving the vehicle joyously silent. "Ah…peace and quiet," Ran murmured settling into her spot in the back.

"What did you do, Karin?" Hakkai asked surprised.

"I gave them exactly what I said…pills filled with nutrition…and loaded with sleeping herbs," Karin explained with an almost too innocent smile.

"I thought it was something like that….thank you," Ran said happily from the back.

"At least it's quiet," Sanzo muttered.

The afternoon passed rather peacefully with Gojyo and Goku asleep. Karin spent the time reading her book while occasionally checking the map for Hakkai. Ran meanwhile basked in the silence.

When there still wasn't any sign of civilization, she began to get worried. "Hey Hakkai, when do we get to the next town?"

"We should be coming up to one soon," He told her.

"Really?" Ran said dubiously. "Karin, lemme see the map."

"Alright," Karin said handing it back to her.

Ran took a look at the map scanning over their general area before sighing and hitting her head with her hand. "Um…Hakkai. You really should have taken a right turn about an hour ago," Ran muttered.

"Oh really…well there really isn't much we can do about it now," Hakkai said with a chuckle.

Ran sighed again as she looked ahead of where they were to see if there was anything ahead of them. "Well there is a town ahead of us…but it'll take about 2-3 days to get there," Ran stated after a thorough search of the map.

"Well, we should be able to manage alright," Karin said sounding about as worried as Hakkai was much to Ran's annoyance.

"Your languid nature astounds me at times, both of you," Ran sighed.

"You worry too much," Karin said. "I doubt we'll have any problem finding food."

"Finding food, no problem. Finding enough food to feed these two, BIG problem." She no sooner finished her sentence than Gojyo rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something incoherent before placing his hand on her chest.

Her eyes widened at the movement and then turned red. The next thing anyone heard was low growling noise followed by a loud smack and then, "OUCH…what was that for?" Gojyo sat up very fast and looked around at Ran who was holding her small hammer in her hand and sporting a very red and angry face.

"Ha…and it was so peaceful a moment ago," Hakkai sighed.

"Gojyo…you wouldn't have happened to be dreaming about doing something to someone were you?" Ran asked dangerously.

"N..No…why?" Gojyo asked somewhat worried about the expression on her face.

"Because you touched me you idget," she shouted shooting him an 'I could have killed you' look.

The pairs shouting ended up waking Goku. "Man, I'm starving…" Goku groaned.

"Great job, now they're BOTH awake," Sanzo growled.

"I have a hammer, buddy," Ran shot not in the mood for Sanzo's commentary.

"I have a gun," Sanzo said pulling out said weapon.

"Now now, everyone. Let's all take a deep breath," Hakkai interjected.

Ran's eyes were narrowed in irritation and anger but she sat back at Hakkai's words not really in the mood for…anything. "You know, Ran, this is only the first day," Karin reminded her.

"Yeah I know…and they're already driving me insane," Ran steamed.

"If you don't like it then get out," Sanzo commanded.

"Oh, shut up."

"Well it is getting dark and we haven't found a village yet so we'll just have to camp outside tonight," Hakkai said from the front as the sky turned from blue to an orangish pink color.

Once the sun went down and dusk settled in, Hakkai pulled off and Hakuryuu transformed back into a dragon. They found a good place to set up camp and Goku went in search of a river to fish in. Ran went off to find some game, and Karin went off on her own as well.

"So everyone left, huh," Gojyo mumbled leaning against a rock to relax.

"You could do some help around here too you know," Sanzo grumbled.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want to get in the way of the pretty women's cooking…I'm sorry, Sanzo, but you really don't fit that category," Gojyo replied. Moment's later Goku returned looking defeated.

"I couldn't find a river anywhere."

"Oh well…I'm sure we'll get enough food," Gojyo said grinning. Several minutes past and when the girls didn't return Hakkai and Gojyo started getting antsy.

Suddenly they heard Karin's voice calling out through the trees. "Help! Somebody please help!"

Hakkai immediately jumped up and ran through the forest with Gojyo behind him. When they reached the spot where the cries were coming from they found Karin standing there with her arms filled to overflowing with berries, other fruits, and other random plants.

"Could someone help me carry these back?" Karin asked sheepishly.

Hakkai took several deep breaths, inwardly grateful that it hadn't been anything serious. "Sure I'll help," he offered.

Gojyo just shook his head. "You know, you really had us worried. We thought you were in trouble."

"Oh… sorry," Karin apologized with a small laugh. He sighed before giving her a hand with the fruit and the three of them headed back to the camp.

They arrived at the site to see Ran cooking a large animal over a roaring fire. "Hey guys, where'd you go?" She asked them merrily.

"They were helping me carry the fruit I gathered," Karin told her with a smile as she plopped down and began sorting her findings.

"You always go crazy and end up getting too much," Ran said shaking her head.

"Well, I figured since we're feeding a lot, we should have a lot," Karin said. "Plus I found some really good medicinal herbs that might come in handy later on. Like this one. It's supposed to sooth headaches."

"Wow you'll really like that one, Sanzo," Ran laughed checking the meat to see how it was cooking.

"What is this anyway…and how did you get it all the way back here?" Gojyo asked amazed by its size.

"It's a belk…what does it look like? How did I get it here? Easy I carried it," Ran explained confused by his question. "How else was I going to get it back?"

"Is it done yet? I'm so hungry," Goku said his mouth watering.

"It's almost done," Ran said checking the meat again. "Why don't you get a plate or something."

Goku smiled hungrily and jumped up to grab something to eat off of. By the time he got back the meat was done and Ran had taken out a pocket knife to dish out the food. "I should warn you I'm not the best cook…but at least it's edible," she said placing a large section onto Goku's plate.

"This looks great…thanks Ran."

While Ran cooked the meat, Karin washed and cooked some of the fruit. Soon they all had a dish of meat, baked apples, and warm berries. "There's nothing like a meal with a female touch," Gojyo said digging it.

"Everything tastes delicious," Hakkai complimented the pair. Sanzo ate his food without comment.

Ran and Karin ate last making sure that the others had at least one serving before they dug in as well. As the food continued to disappear Goku and Gojyo started fighting over proportions and Ran threatened to take both of their food if they didn't quit. Pretty soon though all the food was gone and the group fell into silence as Goku fell asleep and everyone else grew tired because of the hour and warm food in their bellies.

Ran and Karin soon fell asleep afterwards. Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai watched the three sleeping peacefully like little kids. "Sadly it won't be peaceful for very long," Hakkai said quietly so as not to disturb them.

"Well, might as well just let it come," Gojyo said, lying back with a shrug. "Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the girls in action again."

"You just don't want to be bothered with it yourself," Sanzo accused.

"And I know YOU'RE just rearing to go," Gojyo remarked sarcastically.

"Please keep it down you two, we don't want to wake the others up," Hakkai pleaded softly. As he said this Karin stirred a bit but didn't wake up…Ran just turned over and continued to sleep on.

"It's a shame that we can't just watch them sleep like this all the time," Gojyo said staring at the faces of Karin and Ran as they were lit up by the warm fire.

"Yes, well…unfortunately that will be destroyed here very shortly," Hakkai said looking into the trees.

A few hours passed and the three men dozed on and off. In the wee hours of the morning Hakkai rose from his spot. "About that time already, huh?" Gojyo asked opening one eye.

Hakkai nodded. "Yes, they're very close now."

"Bastards. You'd think they'd give us a break once in a while," Gojyo muttered, getting up and stretching a bit.

"It's over Sanzo party!" one of the demons shouted the moment they arrived.

As soon as he shouted Ran sat upright in her bed and glanced around wearily seeing several demons jump out of the forest at once. "Oh not again," she mumbled rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Then Karin sat up slowly like a corpse rising from its coffin. Her face was once again covered in shadow and the others stopped to watch her in curiosity.

Karin slowly walked towards the demons. "Aren't you even going to help her?" Gojyo asked Ran who was relaxing back down and watching.

"There's really no need to," Ran said shrugging. Hakkai watched as Karin stood in front of the hoard of demons.

"Are you in league with the Sanzo party?" The leader asked. "If so, prepare to die!"

"Vermin," Karin uttered, raising her left hand in front of her and the chakram appeared. Then in one swift movement she turned on her heel and threw it at the demons.

It went flying through the center of them before splitting into two separate ones slicing each and everyone of the demons in one fell swoop. Then they came back together and Karin caught them before collapsing into a heap asleep again.

"See told you she didn't need any help," Ran yawned.

"Was she asleep the whole time?" Hakkai asked slowly.

"Yep…it's called sleep fighting. I don't know why she does it but it happens almost every time she wakes up in the middle of the night. Trust me, you don't want to try waking her up…not fun," Ran said shaking her head.

"Is that what she did last night at the inn?" Gojyo asked surprised.

"Yep…oh and just so you know…she fights harder when she's asleep than awake," Ran yawned again. "Either way I'm going back to sleep. See you in the morning."

Hakkai picked up Karin and carried her back to her previously sleeping spot. "Technically it already is morning," he pointed out, gently setting Karin down where she rolled over and curled up into a ball.

"I figured…but until that sun rises it's still the middle of the night," Ran mumbled before falling back into a deep sleep.

"I don't see how they do it," Gojyo said shaking his head. "All that excitement and they still manage to fall asleep so easily."

"Let's let them sleep," Hakkai said smiling at Karin as he resumed his seat.

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CM: Next time...

GOKU: Karin? Ran? What are you guys looking at?

SANZO: Stupid women. There's nothing there.

KOUGAIJI: Don't interfere with our fight.

CM: Stay tuned! ^_^


	3. Watch out

**_Watch out! - An Unseen Enemy_**

These days whenever Gojyo and Goku started going at it, all Ran had to do was give them a look before they quickly hushed up. Not only that, Hakkai now had Karin to converse with whenever everyone else was asleep and he was left to drive.

On one peaceful afternoon; as Gojyo, Goku, and Sanzo were all snoozing an enormous boulder landed in the center of the road blocking their progress. "How did that get here?" Ran asked staring at the obstruction that had fallen from the sky.

"Oh not again," Gojyo muttered having been woken up.

"Hakkai get us out of here now," Sanzo ordered.

"What's the problem?" Karin asked confused.

"We really don't want to have to deal with these people while on a mountain," Hakkai explained throwing Hakuryuu in reverse.

"Your time has come Sanzo party. I will take that Maten scripture," a high pitched voice called from the top of the boulder. Immediately afterward a small female demon landed in front of the jeep. "Now fight me," she demanded.

"Lirin! What have I told you about going ahead on your own? "An angry voice said from above.

Karin looked up and saw, standing on the cliff above them, a man –or more specifically a demon- with red hair longer than Gojyo's, tanned skin, and piercing violet eyes. With him were two other demons. One a burly man with short spiky dark hair, and a woman with long dark hair done in pigtails.

"Who are they?" Karin asked Hakkai still staring at the three above.

"That is Kougaiji and his group. The little one there is his younger sister Lirin, and the other two are Dokugakuji and Yaone," Hakkai explained naming all of them.

"Okay…are they friends of yours?" Ran asked from behind.

"More like our mortal enemies," Gojyo told her shaking his head.

"Hey that's not fair…you have two extra people," Lirin complained.

"So you guys started brining your women with you huh?" Dokugakuji asked with a laugh. "I'm surprised you'd want human women with you on such a dangerous journey."

"Okay, these guys are starting to get on my nerves," Ran said with a small frown.

"Whether you have two extra people or ten, the end result is the same," Kougaiji declared.

"Yeah, you'll lose," Goku stated with a grin.

The tanned demon's eyes narrowed. "You little…"

"You two might want to step back," Hakkai told Karin and Ran as they all got out of the jeep and Hakuryuu reverted back to a dragon.

"Are you guys still trying to protect us?" Ran asked exasperated. "I thought we already proved to you that we can take care of ourselves."

"You did…but against these guys we prefer fighting one on one and…" Gojyo started.

"And we're just extras I get it," Ran muttered walking back a few paces before sitting on the ground. "Have fun then."

"Good luck you guys," Karin told them cheerfully, not looking concerned at all.

The two of them watched as the two parties clashed. Goku faced off against Kougaiji, Gojyo faced off against Dokugakuji, and Hakkai and Yaone were left to fight each other.

Meanwhile, Lirin was sitting on Sanzo's shoulders yanking on his robes. "Come on, baldy, fight me already!"

"Would you get lost?" Sanzo said in annoyance as he smoked a cigarette.

"I never thought I'd see a little kid pulling at Sanzo's cloak," Ran laughed. "Man where's the popcorn…this is priceless."

"Does Sanzo look bald to you?" Karin asked tilting her head from side to side.

"No…I'm sure that came up because he's a Buddhist monk and they are usually bald," Ran told her thoughtfully.

Karin nodded in understanding. Something caught the corner of he eye and she glanced over to see what it was. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Ran's arm. "Look!" she cried pointing.

Ran looked up as well and her jaw dropped. A huge behemoth had risen out of the trees below and was now lumbering towards the Cliffside where they were. Karin cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the two parties. "Everyone! Behind you!"

All the ones who were fighting spun toward where Karin indicated. Then they turned back in confusion. "What is wrong Karin? There's nothing there," Hakkai said kindly.

"Just stay out of this woman," Kougaiji muttered as the fights started again.

Ran stared at all of them at a loss for words unable to comprehend how they could miss such an obvious creature. "And I thought they could sense things like this. What's wrong with them?" Ran muttered getting to her feet. "Come on Karin we have to get them to realize that thing is here."

Karin was astounded that no one could see the thing. Following Ran's lead, she leapt into the fray. Just as Goku and Kougaiji were about to exchange blows, Karin used her sword to block Kougaiji while using her foot to send the end of Goku's staff into the ground. Ran had also intervened by getting in between Gojyo and Dokugakuji.

"Karin what are you doing?" Goku asked utterly confused.

"Get out of my way woman," Kougaiji ordered angrily.

"If you guys would quit fighting for two seconds you'd realize that there's a bigger problem than what you're seeing," Karin said motioning toward the giant monster that had almost reached them.

"Ran, I know you want attention but I'm kind of in the middle of a fight right now," Gojyo said surprised that she had jumped in like that.

Ran didn't wait for even a second…she socked Gojyo hard in the face sending him to the ground. "You idiot…I'm trying to help here. Look there is a large monster here that's at least 30 ft tall over there and I'm trying to get you to realize it's there so you don't die," she shouted at him with clenched fists. Dokugakuji watched this little exchange with some amusement as well as admiration.

Sanzo watched the pair with skepticism. "Tch, women." Hakkai was looking back and forth between the two girls looking genuinely concerned. Yaone just looked confused.

"Enough nonsense," Kougaiji snarled and shoved past her and he and Goku continued their fight once more. By that time, the beast had approached and prepared its attack.

Karin saw the attack coming and quickly shoved Goku a safe distance away before the attack hit the ground sending Kougaiji and Karin flying into the air and over the cliff.

Ran also saw the attack coming and braced for it as Gojyo was already a few feet away. When the monster's attack hit the ground everyone was sent flying in different directions and Ran saw the ground far below her before everything went dark.

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Karin lay completely still for several moments, her body aching all over. She moved a little of her body at a time, trying to determine if anything was broken. When she didn't feel anything too excruciating she gingerly sat up.

After giving herself a quick examination she only found several bruises but nothing serious. She glanced around seeing that she had landed in the forest surrounding the mountain.

As she scoped her surroundings she caught sight of Kougaiji lying on the ground with his head against a rock and blood running down the side of his face. She quickly went over to him hoping that he hadn't fractured his skull. Bending down she hesitantly reached out to touch the wound.

Before she could see if he was alright he opened his eyes and sat up placing a hand against his head. "Don't touch me," he muttered glancing around. "What did you do up there?"

"What do you mean?" Karin asked.

"Don't play dumb," Kougaiji said with annoyance. "How did you create that explosion?"

"That wasn't me, it was the monster," Karin told him.

"There wasn't anything there," Kougaji growled glaring at her. "Now what did you do, and if it wasn't you then what did the other one do?"

"It wasn't either of us," Karin insisted.

Kougaiji looked as if he was ready to tear her head off but before he could get another word out a female voice called out through the trees. "Lord Kougaiji!"

He turned and saw Yaone coming through the trees looking concerned. "Lord Kougaiji, are you alright?" she asked when she saw him sitting there.

"I'm fine," he told her standing up. "What happened to the others?"

"I haven't been able to find Dokugakuji or Lirin anywhere," Yaone answered sadly.

"The blast must have been stronger than I anticipated," Kougaiji deduced. "And if that's the case, there's no telling how far away they were sent."

"What should we do?" Yaone asked him.

"We look for them," he decided already making his way through the trees. "And take down any of the Sanzo party we happen to cross paths with."

"Yes sir," Yaone said following him. Karin gave a final glance around before jogging after the pair, not wanting to be left alone.

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Ran awoke with a splitting headache but not much else seemed damaged. She sat up and rubbed her sore head feeling a large bump that had appeared and the stickiness of drying blood. "Ouch…I must have landed harder than I thought," she muttered to herself getting to her feet and glancing around.

She saw that she had fallen into a forest but upon looking upward she noticed it was the forest surrounding the mountain they had been on. "Great…how am I going to get back up there?" she thought keeping her hand to her bleeding head.

"YAH!" Ran was taken off guard as something orange attacked her and she was once more on her back with a weight on her chest.

"Ha! I got you now! Oh wait, you're just one of those tag-alongs," Lirin said with disappointment.

"Do you mind? I'm kind of bleeding here," Ran muttered pushing Lirin off of her chest. "What do you mean I'm just a tag along?"

"Well you aren't exactly one of the stronger members of the group," Lirin said scratching her head. "You must be along for entertainment only…what else could they want a skinny human woman around for?"

"I'm a lot stronger than I look okay," Ran muttered holding her head.

"Alright, then prove it!" Lirin said pointing a commanding finger at her.

"Lirin, let up will ya?" Ran turned to see Dokugakuji push his way through the shrubbery towards them.

"But she's the enemy!" Lirin said.

"That may be true. But I think our first priority is meeting back up with Kou and Yaone."

"Alright," Lirin agreed half-heartedly.

"Hey…what do you guys have against Sanzo and the others anyway?" Ran asked stopping the two in their tracks. "Okay I get that you're after the Maten scripture…whatever that is…but what's the big deal?"

"I'm not completely certain myself…but Lord Kou is determined to get it and I'm going to help him accomplish that task no matter what," Dokugakuji declared.

"Me too. I want to help brother out as much as I can," Lirin said happily.

"Wait so that red head…Kou or whatever he's called…is your real brother...not just a brother like figure?" Ran asked surprised.

"Yep."

"You two don't look anything alike," Ran pointed out.

"Neither do my brother and I," Doku said with a chuckle.

"And I would know that because…" Ran asked raising an eyebrow.

"I guess you still haven't figured it out yet, huh?" He said with a shake of his head. "You remember that boyfriend of yours that you were beating up on earlier?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Ran said frowning.

"Either way he's my little bro."

"Okay…I guess that's why he's your opponent right?" Ran asked looking back toward the cliff.

"Yeah…we have an old score to settle. Besides it's nice to know how well he's doing for himself," Dokugakuji chuckled.

"You two have the strangest way of showing brotherly love I've ever seen," Ran said shaking her head. "Anyway…how come you guys couldn't see that thing? I mean it was practically the size of a mountain on its own."

"I don't know what it was you were seeing, but there was nothing there, nor did I sense anything abnormal," Dokugakuji told her.

"Yeah, I bet you just made that whole thing up, didncha?" Lirin accused.

"Sure I like to play jokes and stuff but I know when to be serious. I'm not about to go jumping into the middle of a fight like that without a real reason," Ran replied rolling her eyes. "Besides I know that Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai wouldn't be too happy if I got in the way of their battles."

"You're right they wouldn't," Dokugakuji agreed. "We can't keep sitting around here though…we'll be better off finding the others." Ran agreed and followed the two without complaint.

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"I don't mean to pry, but exactly why is it that you want the Maten Scipture?" Karin asked as she kept pace with Kougaiji and Yaone.

"None of your business," Kouaiji snapped.

"It is if you intend on hurting my friends in order to get what you want," Karin said seriously.

"I really don't see the harm in telling her," Yaone said slowly.

"No Yaone…if she knows she may just divulge this information to her comrades," Kougaiji said angrily. "As for you, drop it, and stay out of our way from now on. Why the Sanzo party would even allow a human girl to travel with them is beyond me," Kougaiji muttered to himself as he began to walk away. "Why are you even here?"

"I'm trying to save the life of the closest thing to a mother I have left," Karin said defensively.

Kougaiji stopped and Yaone looked at him worriedly. "Lord Kougaiji?"

"You're trying to save your mother… so am I. Don't get in my way or I will kill you too," he said before continuing forward.

Karin was slightly taken aback, not by the threat, but by the fact that the two of them had a common goal. "I apologize for Lord Kougaiji's disposition," Yaone told Karin. "I'm sure he bears you no personal ill will."

Karin shook her head as the two of them continued walking behind Kougaiji. "It's fine. I don't mind."

"You say you're trying to save your mother?"

"Well, she's actually my aunt. My mom died when I was young, but my aunt has been like a mom to me ever since," Karin explained.

"What's the problem?" Yaone asked curiously.

"She's sick and the only thing that can save her is a fruit that grows in India," Karin explained sadly. "She's only got a month or two left too."

"I know the plants of India…why not tell me what it looks like and I might know which one you're talking about," Yaone suggested.

"It's kind of a tan color," Karin described. "And, I think it's shaped like an unopened flower bud."

"That sounds like the Marima fruit," Yaone said after some thought.

"So you've seen it?" Karin said sounding extremely hopeful. Yaone nodded. "I believe so. I'm an apothecary so I'm quite familiar with things like this."

"Do you know how long it would take to reach it?" Karin asked hopeful.

"At the rate you're going it should take almost three months," Yaone said apologetically.

Karin's heart sank at this news. "No… I can't wait that long. SHE can't wait that long."

"I'm sorry," Yaone expressed sadly.

Just then there was a huge crash and several trees fell to the ground in front of them. Karin looked up and saw that the large creature from before had returned. "What caused this?" Kougaiji asked looking around for the source.

"It's back…the monster from before," Karin explained pointing at the hulking figure before them.

Yaone looked in the direction Karin pointed but couldn't see or sense anything from it. "Are you sure you see something?" Yaone asked looking at her worried face.

"I promise, I'm not making this up," Karin said in an almost pleading voice.

Yaone turned to Kougaiji for instruction. "Lord Kougaiji?"

For a while he said nothing. Then… "Woman!"

"Yes?" Karin answered meekly.

"Can you show me where to aim?" He asked her.

Karin broke out into a smile. "Yes."

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"So how long have you and my brother been going at it," Dokugakuji asked breaking through the silence.

"We're not doing anything," Ran sighed.

"Fine then when did the two of you meet?"

"We met three and a half months ago when he came through my village," Ran explained staring at the sky as she walked.

"Where's that?" Lirin asked curiously.

"It's a small town in the valley created by several different mountains. It's not easy to get in or out of there but every once in awhile we get visitors," Ran explained seeing the place as she spoke. "Why…you aren't planning on visiting are you?" she asked suddenly growing suspicious.

Dokugakuji laughed. "Nah, we're not interested in picking on villages. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"And that would be…?" Ran said expectantly.

"Why are you traveling with the Sanzo party?"

"That little bit wasn't planned but we're trying to get somewhere to find a cure for Karin's aunt who's sick. We happen to be headed in the same direction as the Sanzo party so we decided to tag along," Ran explained feeling no reason to hide it.

"Why are you doing this for her aunt?" Lirin asked curiously.

"Karin's aunt is like her mom and I kind of feel the same way. So we're doing this so we don't lose her. You can understand that right?"

"Wow, that kind of sounds like my brother," Lirin said with a semi straight face. "His mom's sealed away so he's trying to--"

"Lirin," Dokugakuji said in a voice of warning.

"Oh, sorry. You're not allowed to know," Lirin said not sounding sorry at all.

"Don't worry I won't say a thing," Ran said smiling warmly.

*Crash* "What was that?" Lirin asked looking into the sky.

"Don't tell me," Ran muttered recognizing the presence she felt. She quickly found a tree that was taller than most of the ones around it and climbed to the top. Once there she saw the hulking figure of the creature that had attacked before. "That monster's back and attacking someone…Karin it feels like," Ran said when she got back down.

Another crash sounded and Lirin recognized its energy to be her brother's. "Lord Kougaiji…Lirin let's go," Dokugakuji said leading the way toward Kougaiji's presence.

"Be careful that thing is still out there," Ran told them running to keep up with their quick pace.

"Whatever is out there is going to perish…whether by Lord Kou's hand or ours," Dokugakuji declared.

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Meanwhile, Karin had been instructing Kougaiji where the monster was so that he could attack it. Even still, it was tedious work. The monster was big, but it wasn't stupid and it dodged Kougaiji's attack.

At one point it inadvertedly trapped Yoane between two fallen trees. Kougaiji was heading to her aid when the giant took a swing at him. "Look out!" Karin yelled and shoved him out of the way just in time to take the hit.

She fell to the ground in a heap but picked herself up and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. "I didn't ask you to protect me," Kougaiji said after he had gotten Yaone out.

"I know…I just didn't want you to lose your mom too," Karin answered smiling. This unexpected statement gave him pause.

"Lord Kou," a deep voice called out. Kougaiji and Yaone turned to see Dokugakuji running toward them with Lirin and Ran right behind him.

"Are you okay Nii-san?" Lirin asked stopping in front of him.

"Yes I'm fine. They were right though, there is something there," Kougaiji told them looking through the sky to try to find it.

"Karin everything alright?" Ran asked seeing her friend on the ground.

"I'm fine, I think it's just a few cracked ribs," Karin said wincing as she stood up.

"If the situation wasn't so serious I'd almost be tempted to laugh at your relaxed attitude."

Karin gave a weak laugh to compensate. "Well, I think we need to do something about our little problem there first," Karin said pointing at the monster which was still destroying the surrounding area.

"You call that little?"

"It was an expression."

"Right. Well since we're the only ones who can see it we might as well eliminate this 'little' problem. Think you're well enough to help me out?"

"Yeah I think I can manage. What do you need?"

Ran stared at the monster for a minute until her face lit up. "Right I've got an idea. I need you to be a distraction for me. Keep his attention on you for as long as possible. Think you can handle it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Karin said summoning her chakram in her hand.

"What are you two planning?" Kougaiji asked them suspiciously.

"Just give us a minute," Ran told them. "One minute, and this thing is all yours if you want."

The four looked at them skeptically but Ran and Karin ignored them. Allowing Karin to go first Ran ran as fast as she could between the trees and waited for the opportune moment. Karin ran as best as she could with broken ribs and got its attention in no time.

As soon as Ran saw her opening she ran up the creatures arm aiming for the shining spot she saw in its chest. Once she got halfway up its arm, Karin attacked its head making it raise its arms leaving its chest wide open. When she was close enough Ran leapt off its arm, pulled out her hammer and delivered a decisive blow to the shining area with the axe side.

"Bulls eye. Now try to run around hidden," Ran shouted with her blade embedded in its armor.

In the eyes of our group of beloved antagonists/antiheros, Karin had been running on air while Ran had stuck her ax in some sort of invisible object. But once she had, the image of the monster flickered before appearing in full view before them.

"So it really was there all along," Dokugakuji said in amazement.

"And from the looks of it, it's a shikigami," Yaone noted not sounding too thrilled about it.

"You two better get out of the way," Kougaiji shouted at Ran and Karin. "Because I'm about to send this thing to the underworld."

Ran looked back at him and actually became afraid of the look on his face. "Crap…if I get caught in this I'm going to die," she thought.

Placing her foot against the creature she tried to pull her weapon out but found that it was stuck. Crap. She looked back at the group and noticed Kougaiji powering something up that she knew was going to hurt so she made her hammer disappear and leapt off the beast…just in time.

As soon as she landed a huge flame demon appeared and barbequed the monster they were fighting. "Whew…glad I didn't get caught in that. That would have really been bad," Ran thought sheepishly.

"You gotta admit, the guy does a nice job of cleaning up," A sarcastic voice said and Karin and Ran both looked to see the Sanzo party appear.

"Is the battle over already?" Goku asked looking disappointed.

"Afraid so, Goku," Ran told him.

Hakkai, meanwhile, had noticed Karin resting against the tree and was at her side at once. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm alive," she replied joshingly.

"Here," Hakkai said as a ball of chi appeared above her chest. "You really should be more careful…I don't want to see anything happen to you." Karin blushed but smiled all the same.

"Ran how's your head?" Gojyo asked noticing the bit of blood that was visible through her hair.

"I'm fine…nothing broken," Ran replied grinning. "Thanks for the concern though."

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Goku asked the Kougaiji party who were walking off.

"We're withdrawing… for now," Kougaiji announced. "Consider yourselves lucky."

"Kougaiji!" Karin called out to him. "I… wish you a lot of luck. You know… with that thing."

Hakkai and the others looked over at Karin in confusion and Ran glanced over at her smiling in understanding. "She really has a strange way of putting things," she thought laughing to herself.

"I don't need any luck from you woman," Kougaiji muttered walking away.

"My name's not woman, it's Karin," Karin shouted after them.

"Woman is good enough for you." Then the group vanished.

"Well that certainly was an interesting encounter," Hakkai said smiling.

"He must be real popular with the ladies back home," Gojyo said sarcastically.

"I don't know…he is pretty cool…and so is that friend of his…Dokugakuji wasn't it," Ran said scratching her chin in thought.

"Well, I suppose even they have their good points," Gojyo said scratching the back of his head.

"If you all are finished screwing around," an irate Sanzo spoke up. "I'd like to get out of this damn forest." No one wanted to argue with Sanzo so they all piled into Hakuryuu and got on their way again.

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CM: Lol, you gotta love Kougaiji's group. Sorry for not posting sooner. It's been busy what with school and all. Not to mention I'm on the third chapter and still no one has reviewed. But I still hope that for those of your who are reading this (if any) enjoyed it. T_T


	4. Surprise

**_Surprises Around The Corner_**

As the month was coming to a close the Sanzo party found themselves stuck in a small village that was surrounded by mountains of snow thanks to a blizzard that happened the night before. "Well looks like we won't be going anywhere for a day or two," Hakkai said looking around at the snow covered town.

"Man, why does it have to be snowing so much?" Goku whined.

"Do you not like the snow?" Ran asked him.

"Not really," he said. "It's all cold and silent and creepy."

"What about you guys?" Ran asked the rest.

"Eh, I don't mind it," Gojyo said shrugging.

"It's fine with me," Hakkai said.

"Whatever," Sanzo muttered.

"Well, since we're going to be here, you guys find an inn and I'll go do some shopping for provisions," Karin suggested.

"Sure thing, just don't get lost out here…you don't want to freeze to death," Ran shouted after her.

"I know," Karin shouted back running off into the market.

"Well I hope she has fun in the snow," Ran said as they headed toward the inn.

"She's getting provisions…will she have time to play?" Goku asked curiously.

"She really just wanted to go play in the snow…and getting the provision gave her an excuse to do so," Ran explained laughing. "I don't mind though…considering today is her birthday and all."

A blanket of silence seemed to roll over them. "Wait a minute… today's her birthday?" Gojyo asked in surprise.

"Yep," Ran said with a nod.

"What's a birthday?" Goku asked quizzically.

"You gotta be kidding me," Gojyo said mystified by Goku's obliviousness.

"It's the day that you celebrate when you turn a year older," Ran explained to him.

"Oh, that sounds neat! How old is she now?" He asked.

"Today she'll be nineteen," Ran revealed.

"So she IS legal," Gojyo remarked and Ran punched him in the head.

"But why didn't she say anything?" Hakkai asked.

"She'd feel like she was asking for gifts if she said anything so she kept it quiet. In her opinion it's better to not get anything than tell her friends about her own birthday. If it was mine she'd be telling everyone about it though," Ran explained smiling. "Now that you know though…she can't complain any."

"Well, when she gets back maybe we could have a party for her or something," Goku suggested. "We could surprise her and everything."

"Great idea Goku….want to come with me to get the needed items for a party?" Ran asked with an evil grin.

"Yeah…sounds like fun," Goku exclaimed.

"We'll meet you guys back at the inn. Be ready to party when we get back." With that the two ran off in search of party items.

"I think I'll just go for a walk," Hakkai said suddenly.

"You too?" Gojyo asked raising an eyebrow.

"I won't be long…" Hakkai replied turning around and walking off.

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As Karin skipped through the small town, the snow crunching beneath her shoes, she couldn't help but feel light as a feather. Snowflakes were falling gently from the cloudy gray sky and everything was so calm and peaceful. As she was doing a little spin she accidentally bumped into someone. "Sorry," she quickly apologized.

The stranger in question glanced at her coolly over the collar of a traveling cloak before continuing on his way. Karin began walking again but suddenly stopped. "That man…" she turned around to get a better look at him, but to her immense surprise, he had vanished. She looked down at the snow for foot prints, but all she saw was her own. "He looked… so familiar."

"Meow" A small kitten had started rubbing itself against Karin's leg and looked up at her expectantly.

"She's so….cute," Karin thought looking at it with chibi eyes.

"I'm sorry about that," an old man said picking the kitten up and smiling warmly at her. "I found this little girl injured on one of my travels and healed her up. Unfortunately I can't keep her with me so I'm trying to find someone to take her in."

"Oh that's so sad," Karin expressed scratching the kitten on the top of her head. "I'd love to take her with me….but unfortunately I'm in the same boat."

"I understand…well if you ever want to come visit her we'll be here until I can find someone," the old man said cheerfully.

"Okay…bye kitty," Karin said walking away sadly.

Around a nearby corner Hakkai sat listening to the exchange and thought, "Hmm…on the one hand getting that cat would make Karin very happy. On the other hand getting that cat would make Sanzo sneeze, and be completely miserable." Then he put one hand into the other and exclaimed, "I see no reason to not get that cat."

Moments later Karin heard the sound of footsteps behind her as she stared at the snow covered ground. "Oh Hakkai…I thought you went to the inn," Karin exclaimed surprised.

"I decided to go for a walk. Is there anything wrong?" Hakkai asked concerned.

"Nothing's wrong…it's just that this snow reminds me of that day," Karin answered slowly.

"What day?"

"That day years ago…when we had my mother's funeral," Karin replied. "On that day it was snowing like this and then a man appeared that I'd never seen before. It was strange because he showed up so suddenly and then vanished just as quickly. We never saw him after that though," Karin explained staring off into an unknown time.

"I see…well I don't mean to barge in on anything important but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Hakkai said pulling something out from behind his back.

Karin's eyes widened as she was once more staring down at the grey tabby which stared up at her with bluish gray eyes. "Meow?"

"But… would it be okay?" Karin asked him. "I mean, will anyone mind?"

"We did have a cat along for a short while and everyone simply adored her," Hakkai explained leaving out the fact that Sanzo was absolutely miserable.

"So… I can really have her?" Karin asked breathlessly.

"Consider her already yours," Hakkai said handing over the kitten with a smile.

"Thank you so much!" Karin exclaimed, gleefully taking the kitten and cradling it in her arms. "This is the greatest present ever. I love you!" Karin froze after she said that and her face, which had been stinging with cold just seconds ago, now burned hot with embarrassment.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed since you've already said it," Hakkai chuckled. This only proved to turn her face even redder and Hakkai smiled at her. "You're really cute when you're embarrassed."

"D-don't say stuff like that," Karin stuttered, her face somehow by some cruelty of the color scheme turning redder than she already was. "You'll just make it worse."

"Don't you know, that when you tell someone not to do something, it only gives them an incentive to do it?" Hakkai asked, tilting his head ever so slightly so that she could see both his eyes.

"You're mean," Karin pouted, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry. Why don't we finish shopping and then head back to the inn. I'm sure the others are waiting for us," Hakkai suggested putting a hand on her shoulder.

Karin already hot and bothered by the previous exchange pulled her shoulders up to her ears and muttered softly, "Sure."

She was sure she heard him chuckle softly once more before the two of them walked through town together towards the end, the kitten curled up in Karin's arms. When they got there, Hakkai pulled open the door and stepped aside. "After you."

"Um… thanks," Karin said, feeling flattered before walking inside.

As she stepped in she noticed that all the lights were off and soon became even darker as Hakkai closed the door behind him. "What's going on?" Karin asked to the darkness.

Suddenly the light came back on temporarily blinding her and three people jumped up shouting, "SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARIN!!!" Goku, and Ran stood there grinning from ear to ear and Gojyo had a rather amused smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Sanzo was off in a corner with a 'why am I even here?' expression. After recovery from the near heart attack Karin looked at her friend. "Ran… you weren't supposed to tell anyone."

"Ah, lighten up. Your birthday only comes once a year," Ran told her. She then noticed Karin carrying something. "What's that?"

"Isn't she cute?" Karin almost squealed, holding up the kitten for all to see. "Hakkai got her for me."

"That thing is not staying," Sanzo said from his corner. Then he sneezed and Ran had to stifle a laugh.

"Wow I didn't know Sanzo was allergic to cats," Ran said smiling.

"What are allergies?" Goku asked having run over and was now petting the cat.

"Allergies are things that make you sneeze whenever you get close to them," Ran explained not really wanting to go into the mechanics of it.

"So have you picked out a name for her yet?" Goku asked. "Cause if not I think we should call her Stripe."

"I was actually thinking she looks like a Veronica," Gojyo said rubbing his chin.

"I think Tiger works best," Hakkai suggested.

"Are you listening to me!?" Sanzo barked. "I said she can't stay!"

"They're not listening to you," Ran said.

"Shut up!"

"I like Chihiro," Karin said after some thought.

Goku and Gojyo weren't listening as they had gotten into a fight over whether Stripe or Veronica fit better. "Here we go again," Hakkai chuckled.

A few minutes later Ran had had enough and took out her hammer slamming it in between the two of them. "The name's Chihiro so deal with it," she shouted ending the argument instantly. "So who wants cake and ice cream?" Ran asked, suddenly cheerful.

The rest of the evening the six, er… eight if you counted Chihiro and Hakuryuu who both seemed to take a quick liking to each other, had fun eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's company. Everyone had given Karin a gift even though she protested against it. Goku gave her a box of dumplings before asking if he could have one… or two. Gojyo gave her a bottle of wine, assuring her it was the 'good stuff'.

Ran pulled out a nicely wrapped gift and handed it to Karin to open. Inside was a well shaped piece of steel that had a picture of Hakuryuu imprinted in it. "Oh wow…the resemblance is uncanny," Karin exclaimed holding it up to Hakuryuu in comparison.

"How did you get that?" Goku asked surprised.

"I made it while everyone was sleeping," Ran explained. "It took awhile to finish but I pulled it off."

Sanzo managed to come up with a gift…though grudgingly. He just kind of left the parcel out so she could see it but didn't hand it to her himself. Inside was a set of headphones thinking it may keep her quiet during the trip.

"Thanks Sanzo. I didn't know you knew I loved music," Karin said happily, completely misinterpreting the monk's intentions.

"I seriously doubt that was the case," Gojyo muttered out loud and Sanzo pointed his gun at the half demon.

"You want to critique some more? I dare you to go right ahead."

"No I'm done," Gojyo said holding his hands in the air.

"So what's next?" Goku asked looking around excitedly.

"How about party games," Ran said running to one corner of the inn where she had hidden a large bag of different games. Inside there was the pieces for Mahjong, a blindfold and pin for pin the tail on the donkey, and she had even brought a large bat for a pinjata.

While playing pin the tail, Goku accidentally stuck Gojyo with it and Goku had to run from Gojyo who had wanted to return the favor. While Trying to hit the piñata, Hakkai did such a great job of keeping anyone from hitting it, that finally Sanzo just pulled out a gun and shot the thing open.

Goku went diving for all the candy as it fell and somehow managed to get them all before they landed on the ground. "Wow I knew he was fast but that was cool," Ran thought laughing.

Finally their Mahjong game began. Everyone was very focused on the game at hand and nobody seemed to notice that Chihiro and Hakuryuu had fallen asleep…as it was so late. They played several games and everyone won at least one game…Hakkai winning the most…of course. By the time they finally called it quits the sun had gone down and everyone was tired so they packed up the game and headed up to their respective rooms.

Karin and Hakkai were the last ones to finish cleaning up and he walked her to her room, their respective pets curled up in their arms. When she had gotten to her door she turned and smiled up at him. "Thanks again, Hakkai. This has been a really fun evening. And I'm really happy to have Chihiro with me now."

"It was no trouble at all," he assured her with a smile.

Karin glanced away shyly and was silent for several moments. Then she stood up on her tips toes and gave Hakkai a small peck of gratitude on the cheek. "Well, goodnight," she said turning quickly and reached for the door handle to her room.

Hakkai quickly placed a hand on her arm and got her stop for a second. "I'm glad you were able to have so much fun," he said moving his hand from her arm to her cheek. He then bent down slightly and returned the kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well," he told her letting her go and walking away.

Karin watched him leave, her heart thumping loudly against her chest and she knew that she must be very pink. But at the same time, she couldn't keep from smiling as she went in the room and got into bed with her new friend curled up beside her.

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"Hey Karin, wake up!"

Karin's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt up right breathing heavily to see Ran staring at her in concern. "Okay, you're never allowed to make fun of me making weird noises in my sleep ever again," Ran stated. "What the heck were you dreaming about?"

"I... I'm not sure. It was really vague. Why, what kind of noises was I making?" Karin asked.

"Uh... well you were kind of... groaning like you were in pain. And then you kind of, growled maybe?" Ran said awkwardly.

"I must have eaten to much cake," Karin laughed nervously brushing her bangs out of here face.

At this movement, Ran thought she saw something strange about one of Karin's eyes... it looked different somehow. But it was dark so it was probably just her imagination. "No more sweets before bedtime then. Next you'll be chewing on my arm in your sleep."

Karin laughed again but was sure to keep it quiet so as not to disturb the others. "If you insist." With that she lied back down with Chihiro close beside her and tried to fall back to sleep. But a unshakable chill prevented her from doing so.

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CM: A prelude for the next chapter!

_**RAN:** Huh? Sanzo? Why are you acting all nice like that?_

_**SANZO:** Hakkai, please quit hitting on Gojyo._

_**GOKU:** My hair, it's all gone!_

_**KARIN:** Would you losers shut up!_

_**HAKKAI:** How am I supposed to get a date looking like this?  
_

_**GOJYO:** Whoever is responsible for this is going to pay._

**CM:** Stay tuned for next time, and please review. :)


	5. Who's Who

**_Who's Who-Don't Talk To Strangers_**

For the next week and a half Sanzo was completely miserable. Karin who always sat between him and Hakkai now had her kitten sitting on her lap which made Sanzo a chronic sneezer. Every once in awhile Gojyo would poke fun at Sanzo who couldn't do anything about it because of his sniffling.

By the end of that week and a half Chihiro had started roaming around while they were driving and loved to rub against Sanzo more than anyone else. When this happened though he'd start shouting at Hakkai to tell his girlfriend to get it off of him. Eventually though Chihiro started staying in the back and playing with Goku and Gojyo and Ran just sat back and watched.

That day, Gojyo and Goku were arguing about the last of the food and who was going to get it while Ran hung her head in dismay. "I get the last dumpling!" Goku shouted.

"You already had half the box, stupid monkey! It's mine!"

"How about I just shoot you both?" Sanzo suggested angrily. Karin was completely oblivious to the noise around her and she sang softly along to her headphones while petting Chihiro.

When they finally reached the next town Ran hopped out of the back of the jeep and waited for the others seriously thinking about using her war hammer on the pair. "Now now we're causing a scene here," Hakkai said trying to calm them down.

"I'm going for a walk," Ran declared finally getting fed up with the fight.

As she got up to leave a beautiful woman with dark eyes and mocha skin walked over carrying a whole plate of meat buns. "I noticed you were fighting so I thought I'd bring some food over," she said setting the platter in front of them.

"Well I can't say no to a pretty face," Gojyo said as he took one.

"These look great," Goku exclaimed grabbing a whole handful and chowing down before anyone had the chance to stop him.

Sanzo smacked him over the head with his fan. "What have I told you about sticking things in your mouth when you don't know where it's been?"

"But they taste fine," Goku protested.

They all stared at Goku and when nothing was happening to him, Karin walked forward. "Well, it has been a while since we've last eaten. And they do smell nice." She took one after thanking the woman and took a bite. "Mmm…"

"Hey Ran you should try one of these," Gojyo shouted and he threw one at her.

Ran caught it…not being too far away…and after careful inspection took a bite. "Hmm…these's really aren't all that bad," she murmured with a smile.

"They truly are delectable," Hakkai said after trying one himself.

"Now you've got to try it," Gojyo commanded shoving one of the pastries down Sanzo's throat. "Just eat the pastry," he said as Sanzo resisted.

He finally managed to get Sanzo to eat it only to have the banishing gun in his face. "Try that again and you'll have a bullet in your tiny brain," Sanzo threatened.

The group traveled to the inn with Gojyo and Goku still arguing and Sanzo shouting death threats at them followed up by Ran getting frustrated while Karin and Hakkai merely heaved sighs and took it in stride since there wasn't much that they could do even if they WANTED to. That night everyone went to bed stressed and agitated.

They got three rooms…Karin and Ran in one, Goku and Gojyo in another, and Sanzo and Hakkai in the last one. It took quite some time after Karin fell asleep for Ran to finally calm down enough to sleep. She had a long and fit full night waking up several times. When the sun finally broke through the window she awoke to Goku's scream.

"My hair! It's gone!" He shrieked, feeling his head. "Somebody must have cut it while I was sleeping!"

"Goku, your hair's always been that short," Ran mumbled too tired to realize her voice was unusually deep.

"Huh!? Gojyo??? What are you doing in here?" Goku asked him only noticing he was there.

"Gojyo….what are you talking about? I'm Ran remember," she said sitting up and looking over to find that Goku was sitting on Karin's bed. She stared at Goku for several seconds trying to figure out how Goku got in there and where Karin went.

Then the realization of her voice and Goku's comment struck home. She looked at her hands and saw they were darker and bigger than hers. Then dreading what she saw she glanced down and saw a bare chest of a man. "AHHHH!!!!"

Several moments later Sanzo burst into the room looking genuinely concerned. "Gojyo, are you alright?"

"Do I LOOK like I'm alright!?" Ran demanded.

"Um… Sanzo?" Karin said tilting her head… er, Goku's head, to the side. "You seem…. Really different."

Sanzo blinked in confusion. "Sanzo?" Then he looked down at himself and suddenly laughed. "Oh my, isn't this a messy situation."

"Hakkai? Is that you?" Karin asked him.

"Hakkai…" Ran stuttered looking up at the smiling Sanzo. "Oh sure you can laugh, you wouldn't be laughing if you were in Karin's body," she shot at him angrily.

Then Gojyo's eyes widened and he jumped out of bed stumbling over his own feet. "Oh please say he isn't," Ran muttered rushing for her room.

Sanzo and Goku stared at each other. "You know… you pull being Sanzo very well. He just seems so much warmer now."

"Why thank you, Karin," He accepted the compliment. "I never thought I'd see a mellow Goku."

"Thanks," Karin replied smiling. In the meantime _Gojyo_ had burst into Ran and Karin's room and jumped back as _Ran_ sat up in bed and stared at him groggily. "Man…my chest is so heavy," she muttered rubbing it painfully.

"Huh…is this my stomach? Wow I must have eaten a lot."

"Goku…please don't do that," _Gojyo_ muttered placing a relieved hand on his head.

"Huh…Gojyo what are you doing in here? Why does my voice sound all funny?"

"You two better have a damn good reason for disturbing my sleep," an extremely angry female voice said from the other bed. _Gojyo_ watched as _Karin_ rose from her bed and glared at them. Then a look of comprehension slowly took over her face. Then after yet several more moments… "WHAT THE &%* IS GOING ON!?"

"Well…from what I can tell we've all switched bodies in the middle of the night," _Gojyo_ explained rubbing the back of his head. "I'm really Ran…Goku's in my body, Karin is now in Goku's body and Hakkai's in your body. That probably means that Gojyo is in Hakkai's body."

No sooner had he said this, than _Hakkai_ walked into the room followed by _Sanzo _and _Goku_. "Wow, it's ME!" _Ran_ exclaimed pointing at _Goku_.

"This is just great. How the hell am I supposed to pick up chicks in THIS body?" _Hakkai_ complained.

"Oh shut up Gojyo, you have no room to talk," _Gojyo_ said angrily.

"Haha, you just got burned by yourself Gojyo," _Ran _laughed.

"Shut up all of you," _Karin_ demanded….which was weird because it was Karin speaking.

"Now now everyone let's just take a nice deep breath and try to calmly figure this out," _Sanzo_ said in a gentle voice.

"This is getting really creepy, guys," _Ran _whined. "I don't think I like this. And I'm hungry. I want some more meat buns."

"This is hardly the time to be thinking about food," _Gojyo_ said with a roll of him eyes.

"Hey! Meat buns!" _Goku _exclaimed.

"Not you too, Karin," _Sanzo_ said sounding a little surprised.

"Actually, that's the most normal thing I've heard this morning," _Hakkai _commented.

"No! Don't you guys remember that woman from yesterday?" _Goku_ reminded them. "The one who gave us the meat buns. She mentioned something about walking in other people's shoes… or something like that.

"I hate to admit it Karin…but you're right. I get the feeling she put something in those buns that forced us to change like this," _Gojyo _said thoughtfully. "I'll bet if we find her we'll be able to fix this."

"That b**** is going to die when I find her," _Karin _growled.

"You know," _Hakkai_ said rubbing his chin. "Karin's pretty sexy when she gets angry."

_Goku_ blushed heavily and _Gojyo_ found a piece of paper and a pen and put a single mark on it. "Gojyo you may want to refrain from such comments while in my body," _Sanzo_ said delicately.

"What are you so angry about? I'm speaking FOR you," _Hakkai_ said with a cocky grin. Over the side of the room _Gojyo _made another mark on the paper. "What are you doing?" _Hakkai _asked curiously.

"I'm making a mark for every comment you make that bugs me so that I can hit you for all of them once we get out bodies back," _Gojyo_ explained overly politely.

"Well, while we're figuring this out, let's get some food!" _Ran_ exclaimed jumping out of bed only to fall flat on her face. "So heavy…"

"They're not THAT big!" _Gojyo_ said with much irritation.

"I hate to break it to you, Ran, but your chest is pretty big," _Goku_ said honestly.

"I happen to like them just fine," _Hakkai _stated.

_Gojyo_ closed his eyes and took a deep breath before making another mark on the paper. "I'm surprised you haven't hit him yet," _Goku_ exclaimed.

"Well he's in Hakkai's body right now so I'd really only be hurting Hakkai…and that's not something I want to do," _Gojyo _explained shaking his head.

"I thank you for that," _Sanzo _said pleasantly.

"Let's just go already," _Karin_ shouted getting irritated by the conversation.

The others agreed and headed down the stairs…with some trouble in their new bodies…and asked the inn keeper if he had ever seen the woman before. "Ah yes, she comes and goes every now and again…every once in awhile I get the odd complaint about switching bodies but I've never had such trouble with her before," the inn keeper explained. "Now just tell me whenever you're hungry and I'll have breakfast prepared for you."

_Ran _ordered a bunch of food while the others, excluding _Gojyo_, ordered coffee. "This day is getting more bothersome by the second," _Karin _muttered as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth and pulled out a lighter.

"NO!" _Goku_ shouted and dove across the table, taking the cigarette and tearing it to pieces.

A vein twitched in _Karin's_ forehead. "You… are… DEAD!"

She reached for something in her clothing but came up with nothing and another vein twitched because of it. "Looking for this Sanzo?" _Sanzo_ asked pulling out the banishing gun. "I'm sorry but there will be none of that in Karin's body. It wouldn't be a good thing if you injured her like this now would it."

"I'm sorry but I refuse to let you smoke in my body. I don't want to die of lung cancer," _Goku_ stated boldly.

_Karin_ looked like she was ready to blow but fortunately the food and drinks came just at that moment. _Ran_ began digging in, stuffing everything she could reach into her mouth. "Would you knock it off you stupid monkey? Remember who's body you're in," _Hakkai_ yelled at him.

"I don't think there's anything to worry about. Her chest will probably absorb all the calories," _Karin _muttered angrily.

"Oh knock it off…if everything was fixed right now you'd both be dead," _Gojyo_ shouted angrily.

"Why do you guys always have to fight?" _Goku_ asked exasperatedly.

"I think they would all die of boredom if they didn't fight with each other once in a while," _Sanzo_ told him. "Though I can't help but wonder if that woman is trying to teach us something."

"Well if she is, she's doing a heck of a job," _Gojyo_ muttered leaning on his hand.

"We've got you now Sanzo party," a shout sounded outside the door to the inn.

"This is not the best time," _Ran _said looking around. "How are we going to fight without our weapons?"

"We'd better figure that out now because here they come," _Hakkai_ said standing up.

"Hey Hakkai how do you use that chi…thing?"

"I'm afraid we don't have time for a lesson," _Sanzo _said apologetically as they all went outside to face the demons.

"So, you've decided to face us, prepare to die!" One of the demons declared.

"How are we supposed to do this again?" _Ran _asked.

"Uh…I think pulling out the weapons is the same. Using the hammer should be similar to your staff…except it's probably a lot heavier," _Gojyo_ said putting his hand out and smiling as the staff appeared. "See…no problem." He grabbed the staff and remembering what Gojyo had told him a long time ago he started swinging it around throwing demons left and right. "Okay so this is actually pretty easy."

Then he tried releasing the chain which wasn't quite as successful. "Hey, watch it!" _Karin_ growled, dodging out of the dangerous blade's way. It ended up going all over the place before burying itself in a tree.

"You should just stick with the staff part," _Hakkai_ told her.

"Power pole extend!" _Goku_ shouted, holding out Nyoubi.

"It's not called a power pole," _Ran_ shouted at _Goku_. "It's called Nyoubi."

"Hey Karin what are you doing? It's the same basic concept as your double blades," _Gojyo_ shouted having finally released the staff from the tree.

"Oh," _Goku_ murmured turning the staff around and slamming it into the nearest demon. "Thanks Ran."

Meanwhile, _Hakkai_ had abandoned all pretenses and just began fighting the demons with his bare hands which suited him just fine. _Sanzo _looked like he was having a little too much fun with the gun. "Give me the gun, Hakkai," _Karin_ asked for the umpteenth time.

"Unfortunately this is the only weapon I have so I can't. Why don't you try using Karin's weapons?" _Sanzo_ replied with a smile.

"I don't do sword play,"_ Karin_ retorted angrily.

"Well the Chakram's aren't swords so they should do just fine," _Sanzo_ reasoned.

"Fine." _Karin_ took the Chakram that appeared in her hand and threw them at the demons killing them in an instant.

Meanwhile _Ran _seemed to be having fun making holes in the ground every time she slammed the hammer down. Though it took longer than normal, they managed to get rid of all the demons. "We have GOT to get our bodies back," _Hakkai_ muttered once they were finished.

"I don't know, I'm quite enjoying myself," _Sanzo_ said with a smile.

"But what are Ran and I going to do about showers?" _Goku_ asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't forget about going to the restroom," _Gojyo_ muttered with a shudder. "There's no way I'm doing anything like that in this body."

"Oh come on…you know you like it," _Hakkai_ said coming up behind him.

_Gojyo_ closed his eyes before taking out the paper again and making another mark. "Let's just go find that woman and get this thing fixed already."

"You'll never find me, you'll be searching and searching but you'll never find me," A voice taunted from above. They all looked up and saw it was the same woman who had given them the food.

"You!" _Karin_ growled.

"You've had your fun. Now put us back to normal," _Ran_ stipulated.

"Oh, no. I'm no where near done having my fun. I think I'll just keep you all like that," the woman said with a laugh.

"What do we have to do to get this thing fixed?" _Gojyo_ asked feeling like he'd do anything to get back to normal.

"You have to catch me…if you can. I'll be at the forest at the edge of town if you can find me," the woman cackled manically before vanishing from site.

"She's so nice," _Goku_ stated happily.

"You think she's NICE?" _Gojyo _asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she even told us where to look and everything."

"That is a good point," _Sanzo_ supported. "She didn't have to tell us where to find her."

"Whatever, let's just go," _Karin _muttered. "And for the last time give me the damn gun!"

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About an hour later they found themselves in the forest of Endor and began the tedious search for the strange woman. "Hey guys… what are we gonna do if we can't get our bodies back?" _Ran_ asked. "Do we just go on living like this?"

"Oh no, that's when I start contemplating suicide," _Gojyo_ remarked.

"If we keep going on like this, it'll just take us even longer, and I won't be able to save Auntie," _Goku_ said, sadness only all too apparent in his voice. "And she doesn't have much time left. She might…"

"Everything will be alright. You'll see, we'll get a hold of that woman and get this whole ordeal straitened out," _Sanzo_ said soothingly as he gave _Goku_ a hug.

"Don't do crap like that in my body!" _Karin _shouted.

"I wonder if hugging myself would be considered masturbation?" _Hakkai_ thought out loud leaning on _Gojyo's_ shoulder. _Gojyo_ pulled out the paper again using all his self control to not hit _Hakkai_ and made three more marks on it. "Hey, I only said one thing."

"Yeah but that one was bad enough to count for three. Now get off before I completely lose it."

"Hey…what are you guys doing here?" a deep hyper voice called out. The Sanzo group looked around and saw Kougaiji standing in a tree above them with wide eyes. "Either way I'm going to defeat you Sanzo party."

"Wow…Kougaiji seems…happy today," _Gojyo_ said somewhat confused.

"That's NOT me," and angry voice said and a very TO'd looking Lirin stepped into view.

"Don't tell me," _Karin _said exasperatedly.

"Lord Kougaiji!" Dokugakuji exclaimed running to Lirin's side.

"Kou, you're getting to be as bad as your sister," Yaone remarked as she stepped into view.

"So you four ran into the nice meat bun lady as well, I see," _Hakkai _said with a smirk.

"I don't know what you mean about meat buns but we did run into a lady who kept wanting our help with something," _Dokugakuji_ said looking at the group. "We didn't help her and so she somehow got all of us to switch bodies."

"Let me guess, you're Yaone," _Gojyo _said pointing at Dokugakuji_._ "You're Dokugakuji, you're Kougaiji, and that up there is Lirin," he continued pointing at Yaone, Lirin and then Kougaiji.

"Exactly," _Yaone_ expressed.

"Dude, you're in a woman's body," _Hakkai_ laughed at his brother.

"Yeah, somewhere I bet you WISHED you were."

_Gojyo_ rolled his eyes. "I now see the resemblance."

"The lady said that if we beat you guys she'll put us back to normal!" _Kougaiji _piped up leaping down from the tree in front of them. "So prepare yourselves!"

"Well, since I'm in this body I can at least enjoy a good battle," _Gojyo_ said pulling out his weapon.

"This time, Sanzo party, you WILL fall!" _Lirin_ declared before attacking _Goku_.

"Hey, I don't even like fighting," _Goku_ said, managing to block her attack in time with Nyoubi.

"What happened to that fighter spirit Goku?" _Lirin_ asked attacking even harder.

"I'm not Goku…I'm Karin," _Goku_ said fending off his blows.

"Don't worry I'll go easy on you," _Yaone_ said running at _Gojyo_.

"I'll feel a lot better if you just go all out," _Gojyo_ exclaimed blocking the attack with his staff. "I'll have more fun that way."

"I've got you now, baldy!" _Kougaiji_ cried attacking _Sanzo_.

"Couldn't we just settle this peacefully?" He asked easily dodging her swipes.

"Prepare yourself," _Dokugakuji _proclaimed to _Hakkai_ before leaping toward him.

"You know… this would be a lot more fun if you didn't look like my bro," _Hakkai _noted, side stepping her attack.

_Gojyo_ jumped back from his fight for a second to pull out the paper and make another mark. "Sorry about that…alright shall we continue?" he asked looking up at _Yaone_.

"What was that for?" _Yaone_ asked curiously.

"That's for when we get our bodies back. I'm going to hit Gojyo for every comment he makes until then," _Gojyo_ explained.

"Oh…. I see."

"Please, can't we stop now?" _Goku_ asked. "I don't want to hurt you."

"As if you could," _Lirin_ snarled. _Goku _began running from_ Lirin _in a game of keep away. "Come back and fight you coward!"

_Goku_ leapt into a tree vanishing within the leaves. _Lirin_ knocked the tree down but didn't see that _Goku_ had snuck behind her. "Grow Nyoubi!" Lirin suddenly felt herself jerked off her feet as Nyoubi's end caught beneath her shirt and she was hanging from the pole. _Goku _stuck the other end into the ground and clapped his hands happily. "I think a time out should help you with your aggression."

_Lirin _started jerking around doing everything she could to get off Nyoubi but only managed to make herself more angry. "Quit goofing around and get me down you idiot!" _Lirin _shouted at the top of her lungs.

_Sanzo_ was dodging _Kougaiji's_ attacks right and left without any effort at all. "Hey quit running baldy and fight me," _Kougaiji_ pouted angrily.

"I really don't think I should fight you now. Here have a meat bun," _Sanzo_ said finding a bun in his cloak.

"Okay," _Kougaiji_ said grabbing the bun and sitting down quietly eating.

"I hate to say this, but you don't do very well with swords," _Hakkai_ commented as he easily dodged _Dokugakuji's_ clumsy swings. _Hakkai_ side stepped him, tripped him, and then managed to pin him to the ground. "I, on the other hand, know how to use my sword very well."

_Gojyo_ flinched hearing _Hakkai's_ comment and only just managed to dodge one of _Yaone's_ attacks with her spear. He then decided to use the chain of the spear and managed to wrap it around _Yaone's_ body and hang her from a tree. "Yes, I did it. That actually wasn't too hard to figure out," _Gojyo_ said smiling. He then took out the paper again and made three more marks. "When we get back to normal Gojyo is going to have a very sore head."

"Not bad… for a girl trapped in my brother's body," _Yaone_ commented from her hanging spot.

_Gojyo_ sighed. "You just had to ruin it didn't you?"

Suddenly the dark skinned woman appeared in the middle of the brouhaha. "I must say, you guys are very entertaining. I don't think I've had this much fun in ages."

"Just get us back to normal now you old hag," _Karin_ demanded angrily.

"I already told you…you have to catch me first," the woman said playfully. "Though I doubt any of you can in your current state."

"You'll just have to find out won't you," _Hakkai_ said flirting.

_Gojyo_ rolled his eyes and released _Yaone_ so she could help. Together the group attacked the woman trying everything they could to catch her but not one was fast enough to get anywhere near her. "Ran how do you run with these heavy weights on your chest?" _Ran_ complained getting thrown off balance for the hundredth time.

"Is the only thing you guys think about is how big my chest is!?" _Gojyo _shouted.

"So you admit it's big," _Goku_ implied.

"Don't push it."

"Hahaha! You'll never catch me. I am too good for any of you," the woman boasted.

Unbeknownst to her, she was standing right next to Nyoubi on which _Lirin_ was still suspended on… or had been a second ago. With a monstrous jerk Lirin managed to free herself only to plummet downward and land on top of the meat bun woman.

"Good shot Kougaiji. Finally your stubbornness has a use," _Ran_ laughed pointing at _Lirin_ who extracted herself from the woman.

"Oh dear so you managed to catch me…and just in time too, I'm impressed. Had you failed for another minute you would have been stuck in those bodies forever," the woman said standing up.

"Just get us back to normal already," _Lirin_ ordered.

"Alright I'll put you right," she agreed waving her hand. Suddenly the entire group fell to the ground unconscious.

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By the time any of them woke up again she was gone.

"My hair is back!" Karin shouted happily.

"I feel a weight… is it...? Yes!" Ran cheered. "I've never been so happy in my life!"

"It seems everything is back to normal," Hakkai said smiling.

"As normal as it gets for us anyway," Gojyo said stretching.

"Hey guys, I'm starving. Can we go eat?" Goku asked.

There was a gunshot that echoed through the forest. "Even in your own bodies you all are still annoying. But I'll admit… it's better than the alternative."

Karin smiled before looking over at Kougaiji's group who also seemed back to their own norm. "Hey guys… since we got everything settled… why don't we just call it a day?" She suggested to everyone.

"For once I'd have to agree…we all need a break," Kougaiji said rubbing Lirin's head. He led his group toward the path they had entered the forest from and as he passed by Karin he whispered, "Karin…meet me here later but make sure you come alone."

"He remembered my name," Karin thought in wonderment as he left.

"Hey Gojyo, that's really you right?" Ran asked curiously.

"The one and only. I'm back just for you," Gojyo replied with a wink.

"Good I just wanted to make sure," Ran replied with an evil grin as she pulled out the paper and her little hammer. "Now I can pay you back and be sure I'm not hitting the wrong person."

Gojyo sweat dropped before running for it…he knew he had a lot of marks against him. "Well, what do you say we head back to town for dinner and a good night's rest?" Hakkai suggested heading for the forest's exit as well.

"Sounds good to me!" Goku expressed his eagerness by running ahead of them. That night everyone went to bed with peaceful mind and Gojyo with a colossal headache.

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**Goku:** "Hey where did Karin run off to?"

**Gojyo:** "Probably on her honeymoon."

**Sanzo: **"Well isn't this convenient."

**Ran:** "Great...and Hakuryuu isn't doing so well either."

**Hakkai:** "Wow...I didn't realize how big you've gotten Chihiro."

CM: Next time on Fire and Blood. Please review. ^_^


	6. Take Flight

**Take Flight-Burning the Midnight Oil**

In the middle of the night, after Karin was sure that everyone was asleep, she sneaked out of the inn and traversed her way through the forest to the area where they had gone earlier.

"You made it…I'm a little surprised you decided to come," Kougaiji said stepping out of the shadows Yaone right behind him.

"Why's that? It's not like I don't trust you or anything," Karin replied. "Why call me here though?"

"You don't have enough time to get the fruit from India back home do you?" Kougaiji asked seriously.

Karin was hit hard by the impact of his words and the dark reality that they had brought. "…No, but I can't stop trying now. I'll find a way. I have to," she desperately tried to convince herself.

Kougaiji held out his hand expectantly towards Yaone and she handed him something. "You sure this is it?" He asked her.

"Without a doubt, my lord," she nodded.

He turned back to Karin who had watched the exchange curiously. "Here," Kougaiji said handing her the object. It was a tan colored fruit that was shaped like an unopened flower bud.

"This is…why are you giving me this?" Karin asked flabbergasted.

"If you don't want it then give it back," Kougaiji growled at her.

Karin clutched the fruit against her chest protectively. "No, I do want it…. Thank you."

"Yaone will take you to your aunt," Kougaiji notified, not even acknowledging her thanks. "You can deliver the fruit and stay there or return. I don't care which. After this I owe you nothing."

'Ah… so it's a settlement of debt,' Karin thought to herself but was grateful nonetheless.

"She's not going anywhere without me," Hakkai said stepping into the light with Chihiro at his heels.

"Meow"

"I thought I told you to come alone," Kougaiji said irately.

"I thought I did," Karin declared in her own defense.

"Don't blame Karin for it…I can become invisible if I need to," Hakkai said smiling.

"I'm sure the dragon will support the three of us with no trouble, Lord Kougaiji," Yaone said tentatively.

"Fine," he conceded. "Just make sure you get back. Even if you have two dump these two off to do so."

"Yes sir," Yaone replied dutifully.

As Kougaiji walked off, Karin called after him. "Thank you, Lord Kougaiji. I really am grateful." Kougaiji didn't slow his pace or make any indication that he heard her. "He really is a nice guy," Karin thought with a smile.

"Well we'd better get going, we don't want to take all day getting there do we," Yaone said hopping on the dragon and motioning for the others to get on as well.

She helped Karin get on by grabbing her hand and Hakkai helped by giving her a little boost from below. Then Hakkai leapt on himself and the dragon took off for Karin's village.

Karin loved the feel of riding a dragon and tried to enjoy it as much as she could, but she was exhausted, having not slept, and she felt herself drifting off. She began to slump forward, but a pair of hands gently caught her and pulled her back against a solid chest. She gave a content sigh before her eyes fluttered close and she sank into a slumber.

Hakkai smiled and stroked Karin's hair taking in her scent. In the moonlight, her features seemed more pronounce and she was surrounded by a strange radiance. As her presence gently washed over him, he felt that he was in a space where only he and Karin existed.

His heart and mind felt both at peace. "This is rather comfortable. I'm glad I came along," he thought happily.

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The next morning Ran awoke refreshed to find a note from Karin saying she had gone to meet Kougaiji and would be back and that she shouldn't worry. "You couldn't tell me this last night?" Ran muttered crumbling up the note and putting it in her pocket. She took a quick shower and put her long strawberry blond hair into a pony tail before heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Hey where's Karin?" Gojyo asked when she got down. "She left but said she'd be back later. What happened to Hakkai?"

"Apparently he left too. He even left Hakuryuu here…though that won't do us any good because he caught something last night."

"Where'd they go?" Goku asked.

"No idea," Ran shrugged.

"Probably on their honeymoon," Gojyo commented with a grin.

"Well isn't this just convenient?" Sanzo said with annoyance.

"Well, there's not much we can do except wait for them to come back. We won't get far walking."

"He's got a point…in the meantime I'll go take care of Hakuryuu," Ran said wolfing down her breakfast and grabbing a bit of food and taking it up to Hakkai's room. There she found Hakuryuu coughing up a storm and she found that he had a high fever. "Here Hakuryuu eat this. I'm not as good at healing people as Karin is but bare with me. You'll get better in no time."

Throughout the entire day Ran stayed in Hakuryuu's room and only left to get things that would help him heal. She really didn't see much of the others that day but they noticed how much time she was spending in there and Goku had to stop Gojyo from going in there to talk with her.

"She'll get really mad about you going in there. Why not wait until Hakuryuu's better," Goku said holding Gojyo back.

"Fine…" Gojyo muttered walking away.

That night Hakuryuu was having a very hard time falling asleep and Ran was getting worried that he wouldn't be able to get the rest he needed unless Hakkai was present. "Kyou…" Hakuryuu cried weakly.

Ran sat on the bed with Hakuryuu and gently stroked him, trying to sooth him a little. "There's a song my mom used to sing to me when I was little… would you like to hear it?"

"Kyou?"

"You got it…I just hope it works on dragons too," Ran said softly.

"You came…from a land…where all is light. To a world half day and a world half night. To guide you by day…you have my love, and to guard you by night your friends above. So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends guarded by your angel friends. So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends guarded by your angel friends."

Gojyo was walking past the room when he heard someone singing. At first he didn't recognize the voice, but after a few moments he realized it was Ran's voice. He opened the door without a sound and stepped inside in time to hear the last note fade off and see Hakuryuu asleep on the bed with Ran beside him for comfort.

She seemed deep in thought and didn't notice that he had entered. Then after stroking Hakuryuu one last time she stood and climbed out the window onto the roof. "It's so peaceful out here….the stars are really visible right now. It's amazing how bright they get after the snow stops falling," Ran mumbled to herself as visions of a beautiful woman singing flitted through her mind.

"Nice night, huh?"

Ran's eyes widened and she almost leapt into the air. "Gah! What are you doing up here?"

"Just thought I'd check up on a beautiful woman," He replied with a smirk. "Mind if I join you?"

Ran rolled her eyes but didn't object. "Say how did you know I was up here anyway," she asked glancing from the stars to him.

"Let's just say a little dragon told me," Gojyo smirked. She glared at him and he caved, "Okay so I watched you climb out the window. That was a beautiful song by the way."

"You think so….wait you heard that?" Ran demanded her face turning as bright as her hair.

"Yep. I never knew you could sing like that."

"Well… you never asked."

"Fair enough," he replied before taking out a cigarette and sticking it into his mouth. "So is there more to that song, or will I never here the end of it?"

Ran looked at him for a second and thought, "Well mom did say that it was a song that could calm almost any heart. Maybe it'll keep him from saying anything stupid." "I guess you can hear the rest of it."

"There is one stands firmly by your bed. And another stands by with a hand on your head. There is one at the window watching for the dawn, and one waits to wake you when the night is gone. So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends guarded by your angel friends. So sleep, sleep till the darkness ends guarded by your angel friends."

As Ran finished she felt her soul lift and her heart lighter.

"Where did you learn that song? It's beautiful…almost as beautiful as you are," Gojyo asked looking over her face as it glowed.

"My mother used to sing it to me when I was a child. It would always bring me comfort whenever I was having troubles. Even after she left, whenever I hummed it to myself my worries would just melt away," Ran explained looking at the stars. As Gojyo stared at her he saw a single tear appear at the corner of her eye. "It's alright though…I'll see her again…one day. I know…I will," she mumbled her eye lids getting heavy. Then all at once her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side and leaned against Gojyo's shoulder.

"Sure you will," he murmured encouragingly, reaching over and tenderly wiping the tear away. He slowly shifted so that he was able to gently lay her down so that her head was resting in his lap. He unconsciously curled locks of her hair around his fingers as she slept. "I'll even help you. Don't know how much good it'll do… but I'll help."

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That same night far back east…

"Thanks for waiting," Karin said in gratitude to the pair. "Now I can do this with no troubles."

"Are you sure this is how you want it to be?" Hakkai asked her.

Karin nodded. "Trust me, this is the BEST way."

"Well, she is your aunt. So if you're sure, then I trust you know what's best." Karin and Hakkai together snuck into the inn with no troubles while Yaone waited outside.

When Karin quietly entered her aunt's room, she was almost heartbroken to see just how bad her condition had become. She had grown a lot thinner and seemed to be wasting away before her very eyes and even had pipes running out of her nostrils and she was deathly pale. But she was still breathing. Karin had to fight back tears. "Auntie…"

Hakkai placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's your choice whether or not you stay," he reminded her.

Karin shook her head and gently placed the fruit on the table next to her aunt with a little note that read, "Hey Auntie. Here eat this fruit and it'll make you all better. I'm going out adventuring for awhile longer but I'll come back some day. I love you and want you to get better. ~All my love, Karin."

Hakkai stepped forward and gave her aunt some of his chi to help her body relax a little before he followed Karin out of the room. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked her softly as they crept down the hallway.

Karin nodded, looking rather sure of herself. "At first I thought the only reason I even went on this journey was to find this so that Auntie could get better. But I realized that there's still so much I want to do before I settle back down again. So… if it's not too much trouble, could I stay with you guys a little longer?"

"I don't know…you are pretty troublesome. I'm sure Sanzo won't mind the company though," Hakkai said smiling. As they got back outside he helped her get back on the dragon and the three of them took off once more.

Karin had found that she had once more dozed off because it was dawn when she was jolted awake by a loud screech and a lurching sensation. Her head whipped around trying to find the source of her rude awakening.

She didn't have to look hard. A huge bird beast was circling around, preparing to dive at them. "What is that thing?" Karin asked.

"A beast of a foul nature," Yaone told her.

"And we're at a disadvantage way up here," Hakkai noted seriously.

"Brace yourselves because here it comes," Yaone said getting her footing on the dragon.

Hakkai started gathering his chi preparing to attack when Chihiro leapt off the dragon headed for the large bird. "Chihiro no!!" Karin shouted. Then just as Chihiro reached the bird she changed into a very large cat with wings, sharp claws and teeth, and a sleek body.

The three of them watched as Chihiro attacked the bird, sinking her teeth and claws into its body and tearing viciously at it. The bird like creature shrieked in pain and writhed around in the air trying to shake the cat off. But it was in vain as Chihiro latched her teeth around the creature's throat and gave a fierce tug.

There was a snapping noise and the creature went limp, and Chihiro let it plummet down to the earth. "Chihiro?" Karin asked uncertainly. The large cat turned its eyes on her for a moment and stared at her with knowing, grayish blue eyes. Then, Chihiro slowly made her way back to the dragon, shrinking as she went. Once she was back in Karin's lap, she was her normal size again.

"Well that was a surprise. I guess Chihiro is a half demon as well," Hakkai said with a laugh. "I'm sure that should make Sanzo happy…since she can pull her own weight." They continued on without any more disturbances and about three-quarters a way to the town Yaone dropped them off before heading home. "Well I guess we'd better get walking," Hakkai said starting on his way. As if to challenge his statement Chihiro changed again and stood expectantly next to Karin.

"Hakkai… I think she wants us to get on," Karin said as Chihiro nudged her with her powerful body.

"Well, I suppose it would be rude to say no," Hakkai said with a smile.

He helped Karin up to sit right behind Chihiro's shoulders while he sat snugly behind Karin in the curve of the feline's back. Karin kept her head down so as to hide her embarrassment. You'd think she'd be use to having such close proximity with him by this time, but she still couldn't get her heart to settle down.

"Ready when you are, Chihiro," Karin told the cat, stroking her neck encouragingly. Chihiro gave a small nod and with its powerful legs it sprang forward going almost as fast as the dragon…on the ground.

By that afternoon they had reached the town they had left the others in. "Oh I hope they're not mad," Karin mumbled as Chihiro turned back to its small form.

"I'm sure they are just fine," Hakkai said. As they reached the inn there was a large crash and the sound of something shattering. "Of course I could be wrong."

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Earlier that day…

"Hmm…that was a very comfortable sleep," Ran thought stretching as she woke up in her bed. "I wonder how Hakuryuu is doing." She sat up and realized where she was which confused her greatly. "Wait…I don't remember going to bed last night. Apparently I didn't even get into my night clothes," she thought scratching her head trying to remember what happened. "Let's see…I remember singing to Hakuryuu, and then climbing onto the roof to think. That's when Gojyo came up and I finished singing for him…then I fe…wait a second," she thought jumping out of bed and looking around for any sign of something happening. She was really surprised to find that as far as she could see…he hadn't done anything to her…anything at all.

The day passed and Gojyo was no where to be found. Ran couldn't help but wonder where he could have possibly gone. One good thing though, Hakuryuu seemed to be feeling a lot better. By the time Gojyo finally came back to the inn, it was after lunch.

"Where did you go?" Ran asked him.

Gojyo glanced over at her before shrugging. "For a walk," he said before sitting down at the table with her and ordering a drink from the innkeeper.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that?" Ran asked raising an eyebrow.

"No but I'm not changing the story," Gojyo replied.

"Fine…could you at least tell me what happened last night? I remember falling asleep on the roof…but the next thing I remember is waking up in my bed," Ran asked taking a bite of her lunch.

Gojyo smirked. "Did you know you talk a lot when you're asleep? Probably about ten times as much as Karin does."

"Yeah, I've been told that before, so what?" Ran said frowning.

"You also moan," Gojyo commented before resting his chin on his hand and grinning slyly at her. "So tell me… how good was I?"

His question stunned her at first but she slowly started feeling the heat rise as she fought to keep herself under control. "You know what you don't even need to answer. I know that it was probably great, no better than great…amazing." The heat continued to rise and Ran's hand twitched for her hammer, but she somehow managed to control herself. "So how about later tonight you and I go make that dream a reality?"

"That does it," Ran shouted completely losing it. She ignored the hammer on her belt and pulled out her large war hammer and swung it at Gojyo. "YOU IDGET, YOU JUST HAD TO MAKE SOMETHING SO INNOCENT OUT TO BE SOMETHING DISGUSTING DIDN'T YOU!!"

Gojyo leapt back away as the hammer swung down and shattered the wooden table with a thunderous crash. "Easy, Ran. It was just a joke," Gojyo said looking half-concerned, half trying not to laugh.

"A joke? A joke!? Talking about intercourse is not a joke!"

Right at that moment Karin and Hakkai stepped into the room. "Oh dear..." Karin said looking at the mess.

"What did he say this time?" Hakkai asked Ran.

"It's so disgusting I don't even want to speak of it," Ran spat.

"I'll tell them if you don't want to," Gojyo offered.

"You do and you're dead," Ran rumbled.

"Out of curiosity, where are Sanzo and Goku?" Karin asked.

"Out shopping for food would be my guess," Ran said quickly cooling down and putting the hammer away which made the terrified innkeeper extremely grateful.

"Oh Hakkai, Hakuryuu caught something yesterday while you guys were gone. He's doing better now but he had a fever and was coughing a lot. I don't know much about dragons but from what I can tell he should be good to go by tomorrow," Ran told Hakkai remembering what she did yesterday.

"Thank you, I'll go see him then," Hakkai said before heading for the stairs.

"So…" Karin said after Hakkai left. "I take it you two had fun?"

Ran gave Karin a glare that nearly made her cringe. "I need air," Ran muttered before walking out.

Karin looked over at Gojyo in befuddlement. "What did you say to her?"

"I just told a joke that's all," Gojyo answered shaking his head. "Boy and I thought her fuse had gotten longer…I guess not."

"Just please, try not to get yourself injured. And try not to hurt Ran too…she's had enough of that," Karin asked before heading off to check on Hakuryuu.

"They really do look out for each other…don't they," Gojyo thought to himself.

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That night Ran sat as far away from Gojyo as she could and refused to so much as speak to him. The overall atmosphere around the group at dinner was tense and as soon as she was finished, Ran left for her room. "Wow you really must have ticked her off Gojyo. I've never seen her get that angry before," Goku said laughing.

"Ah, I'm sure she'll cool off eventually," Gojyo said brushing off the comment, though Karin noticed that he wasn't smoking. Instead he let the unlit cigarette hang limply in his mouth.

After dinner Karin sat out on the front porch, feeling that Ran needed some alone time. "Guys can sure be slow sometimes, huh Chihiro?"

"Rowr!"

"Something on your mind?" Hakkai asked coming to sit down beside her with a recovered Hakuryuu on his shoulders. "You seem worried about something."

"I was just thinking about Ran," Karin told him.

"Well, as far as I've seen, she's a very tough girl. And I'm sure she understands by now that Gojyo is… well, Gojyo. She'll simmer down eventually," Hakkai assured.

Karin shook her head. "It's not that simple." At Hakkai's curious expression, Karin went into detail. "I think that part of Ran's irritation towards Gojyo is because she sees him as something she doesn't want to see him as because she doesn't think he sees her that way."

"What do you mean?" Hakkai asked confused.

"I mean…it's very frustrating when you like someone but you're not sure how that someone feels about you," Karin explained.

"I see…but there's more to your depression then just that. Care to explain?"

Karin didn't answer straight away. "I guess… I'm just waiting for an answer." Hakkai was looking straight at her now.

"An answer to what?"

She winked and stuck out her tongue teasingly. "It's a secret."

"Oh, I see how it is," Hakkai laughed.

"One things for sure though," she said becoming serious once more. "I plan to wait as long as it takes."

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A soft hum reached Gojyo's ears as he walked down the hallway toward Ran's room. As he got closer he recognized it as the song she sang to him the night before. Opening the door softly he announced himself and went in despite Ran telling him to "Go away."

As soon as he entered the room he saw Ran stuffed something into hiding and then stared at the floor. "What do you want?" she asked dismally.

"Whatcha looking at?" Gojo asked curiously, momentarily forgetting why he even came in the first place.

"None of your business," she snapped.

"Come on, show me," Gojyo insisted getting closer to her.

"No, stay back you!" The two had a minor struggling match that consisted of Gojyo insisting that he see it while Ran repetitively said things like 'no' and 'idiot' and 'I'm going to hurt you if you don't leave'. But in a swift movement he managed to snatch the object out of hiding. He was surprised to see it was a picture. A family photo no less.

"Who's family is this?" he asked not seeing anyone he recognized. "Oh hey that's your dad isn't it? Yeah and that one there is that sister of yours….where are you?"

Ran sat down on her bed knowing that ignoring his question would only make him more insistent. "I'm the youngest one there," she answered sighing.

"You're kidding right? There's no way this hyper looking kid could be you…the eyes are way different," Gojyo said surprised.

"I don't see why that being me is so surprising. I was a lot younger then….and that was during…happier times," Ran said looking off into the distance.

"Must've been nice," Gojyo said handing the photo back to her. "You all look pretty happy together."

"Yeah… we were," she said stowing the picture away once more.

Gojyo sat down on the bed next to her. "Listen, about earlier... I honestly didn't mean to upset you like that."

"I know…it's just…that's not a joke and it never will be in my eyes," Ran told him closing her eyes.

"Why's that? Did someone hurt you like that before?" Gojyo asked hesitantly putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Remember that creep I told you about?"

"The one who got with your sister?"

"Yeah. Well the last thing he did before he left was the dance under the covers. My sister thought that when he asked that, that they'd be together for the rest of her life. The morning afterward, she woke up to find him gone and that same day he left with that other woman," Ran explained pulling out the picture again and stroked the image of her oldest sister. "I just wish things could have turned out differently."

"Don't we all," Gojyo muttered leaning back. "Unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it at this point. All we can do now is move forward."

"I know… doesn't make it any easier to get over it though."

"Perhaps not… but having others help you does, don't you think?"

Ran gave a mirthless laugh. "Yeah… maybe."

Gojyo smiled before reaching up and ruffling her hair. "Come on, cheer up. Otherwise I'll have to start sweet talking you again."

"Do and you'll have a hammer in your skull," Ran told him seriously. Then a grin split across her face and she laughed. "Thanks Gojyo…I needed that."

"Great to see you smile again. So who are the other two?" Gojyo asked pointing to the last two people he didn't recognize.

"That's my mom. She left shortly after this picture was taken and I haven't seen her since. And the other one is my older brother. He used to act a lot like Goku…except for the food intake. He left a few months after my sister died…I haven't seen him since either," Ran explained smiling at the memories of each person.

"I can see where you get your looks from," Gojyo commented. "You're mom's quite the hotty."

"I don't know whether to hit you or take that as a compliment," Ran said with a roll of her eyes.

"Either one is fine by me," Gojyo said standing up. "So we're cool then?"

"Yeah, we're cool. Just don't go making jokes like that again okay," Ran said glaring at him.

"I promise," Gojyo agreed holding up his hand. Then he stepped out the door and took a deep breath. "That went easier than I thought," he mumbled with a smile. Then he heard a rather joyful voice humming an unfamiliar tune but it lifted his heart and he knew she was back to normal.

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That same evening….

"Lord Kougaiji, I've returned," Yaone told him after having found him in the room where his mother was kept sealed away. "And I have something for you."

Kougaiji took his eyes away from his mother long enough to look over at Yaone. "What is it?"

Yaone walked forward before handing him a small wreath of violet, bell shaped flowers. "Karin wanted me to deliver this to you," she explained.

"What is that thing?" Kougaiji asked disdainfully.

"They're flowers, they stand for immense gratitude," Yaone explained.

"Do what you want with them… just keep them out of my sight," Kougaiji ordered turning back to his mother.

"Yes sir," Yaone said with a smile.

Later that evening, when everyone (i.e. the Kougaiji four) was sat down for dinner, Kougaiji was a little annoyed to see the wreath sitting in the center of the table as decoration. "Yaone…" He growled.

"Sir, you did say I could do what I wanted with them," she reminded.

"I also said to keep them out of my sight," Kougaiji growled.

"I did…for that moment," Yaone replied. "Besides they are for you after all."

"You received flowers Lord Kou? Who from?" Dokugakuji asked amused.

"Oooh…brother's got a girlfriend," Lirin called out laughing.

"Will you knock it off?" Kougaiji demanded, and they all laughed. He sat down with them to eat and, after a while, he reasoned that the flowers weren't so horrible to look at.

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**Goku:** "Ouch, something bit me! Huh...where did these bats come from?"

**Gojyo:** "They're so thick...and fast. How do you kill something so tiny?"

**Sanzo:** "I don't care, they ruined my dinner. They're all going to die."

**Hakkai:** "Oh...I think I understand now."

**Ran:** "Heh...this'll be a piece of cake."

**Karin: **"What is this feeling? This lust for blood?"

CM: Stay tuned for the next chapter of Fire and Blood. ^_^


	7. Awakening

**Awakening- A Deadly Swarm**

The next morning the group packed up their belongings and set out with Chihiro and Hakuryuu giving them rides. "It's a good thing you found out that Chihiro can carry two…it puts less stress on Hakuryuu and Sanzo," Ran said holding onto Karin's back. "Plus it gives me a break from those two idiots."

Karin laughed at that. "Yeah, it was quite the surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless."

The group traveled all day until dusk fell and the tree growth began to thicken. "Another forest?" Goku asked with some complaint. Because forests meant that they would have to walk.

"Hakkai…do you know where you're going?" Ran shouted out from Chihiro's back.

"Yes…probably," Hakkai replied.

"Yeah that makes me feel so much better," Ran muttered.

"Well we can't travel any farther today so we might as well make camp," Hakkai said glancing around. The others grudgingly agreed…except for Karin who was all too happy to oblige and Chihiro who was exhausted.

They found a good spot to set up camp and while Goku and Ran went in search for some game, Hakkai went with Karin to help her with gathering any vegetation the forest might offer. Hakuryuu and Chihiro rested while Sanzo and Gojyo argued with each other about who should build the camp fire.

Finally they settled upon an agreement that had to do with if Gojyo built it he'd be the first to light his cigarette with the flame. When he finished building it though…Sanzo immediately lit his cigarette and sat down to enjoy it. "Hey what about our little agreement?" Gojyo shouted at Sanzo.

"I said you could be the first…after me of course," Sanzo replied without looking at him.

"You little," Gojyo grumbled. He was cut off, however, as they heard a ruffling sound nearby.

Something small flew at him and he smacked it away. It gave a squeal as it hit the ground before taking off again. Shadows began flickering in and out of the firelight. "Looks like we got bad company…" Gojyo muttered.

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Karin and Hakkai were not far away. She reached up to take the peach from the tree when something flew out at her from the leaves. Karin gave a cry of surprise and fell backwards.

Hakkai caught her before she hit the ground and glanced up in time to see something small and black flit between the trees. "We're not alone out here," Hakkai muttered seeing several others appear.

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Ran and Goku had just finished killing a young buck and were preparing to carry it back to camp. "Wow Ran you're really good at this," Goku expressed.

"Thanks…I didn't learn this by myself though," Ran said smiling. Then something small and soft hit her in the side of the head. "What was that?" she asked looking around.

"Ow! What the?" Goku said as something hit him from behind. Another flew at him and his hands flew up to protect his face. The thing caught hold of his hair and began tugging. "Gah! Get it off!"

Ran took out her small hamer and hit the thing so hard it fell to the ground dead. Upon closer inspection, the two of them saw what it was. "A bat?" Goku said aloud. Slowly the air was filled with the sound of fluttering wings. "Crap."

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The bats began to swarm and it seemed that no matter how many times Hakkai blasted them or Karin slashed at them, more came out of the shadows. One managed to sneak past Karin's defenses and gave her a painful bite causing her to lower her guard. Before the bats could completely overtake her, Hakkai grabbed Karin and shielded her with his body getting bitten right and left.

Eventually he passed out from the many bites and the poison they had in their teeth. "Ha…even the great Hakkai was no match for my bat army," a cold voice cackled as he fell to the ground.

Karin knelt on the ground beside Hakkai, not even noticing that the bats had momentarily stopped attacking. She glanced up to see a dark haired teenaged looking demon with equally dark eyes materialize from the shadows. "Why?" Karin whispered, cradling Hakkai's head in her lap. "What did he ever do to you!?"

"It's nothing personal…it's just orders," the young demon declared. "Now you'll join him. Just know that it was Yuya who sent you to your graves." The bats began to swarm again and dove at her again and again biting and sending their poisons into her body.

Strangely enough she wasn't as affected by it as it should have been and the young demon was astounded. "How can you still be standing after all this time?" he demanded. Just as he asked one of the bats caught itself on her limiter yanking it off.

For a few seconds Karin disappeared underneath the cloud of bats. Then there was a blast and the cloud dispersed completely, with each bat that had been within ten feet of her dead. Yuya stared.

Karin was still standing, her clothes torn and her hair messy. She looked up at the demon and he unconsciously found himself taking a step back away from her. There was something about her eyes that terrified him. "You think you've won? I can conjure as many bats as I want. Sooner or later you WILL lose!"

And with that even more bats began to appear. Karin merely watched them come. Just as they were about to fall upon her, she vanished. Yuya blinked. "What the? Where did she… gragh!!" He was cut off when a set of nails dug into his throat and he was hoisted off his feet. He tore at the hand clutched around his neck that was cutting off his air supply. "S-Stop!" He pleaded. "I beg you!"

"You should have thought about that little detail before picking a fight with us," Karin murmured her voice soothing, painful, and ominous all in one.

Then without delay she stabbed her other hand through the left side of his chest ending his life. After she dropped him the blood on her hand scared her enough for some control to return. She stumbled and her right hand went to her face smearing the right side with blood. She then crawled over to where her limiters were and was able to put them back on.

She felt so sick and tired but she knew that she couldn't fall asleep, not yet. She forced herself over to where Hakkai and her bag lay. She searched through her bag before pulling out two syringes. "Dangit, I hate this," she gritted before jamming the syringe into Hakkai's chest. Then she braced herself before doing the same to herself. Thankfully she didn't have to deal with the pain for very long before passing out with her face in the cooling grass.

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Ran and Goku weren't doing so hot either. Ran hadn't taken out her large hammer because she was afraid she'd hit Goku and they came from every direction making it difficult to hold them off. Then Goku suddenly collapsed and Ran was left defending against them alone. "Goku are you alright? Say something will you, you stupid monkey," Ran shouted trying to wake him up.

"He won't wake up…the poison's already taken effect," a cool calculating voice said from above her.

"Show yourself you coward," Ran shouted as she noticed the bats sudden disappearance.

"My name is Chiya," a dark haired girl with eyes black as midnight said coolly. "Remember it well, for it's the last name you'll learn before you die."

"You may have taken Goku out but you'll find I won't be so easy," Ran said pulling out her war hammer.

"He isn't the only one taken down already. We already took care of that other girl and that ugly man she was with," Chiya said smirking.

"Hakkai…Karin. I doubt that, you may want to check your opponents before you go into battle. You may be surprised by what we can accomplish," Ran retorted.

The girl merely laughed before sending a whole new wave of bats at her. Ran fought them off with everything she had. But no matter how hard she swung more and more came. A few bit her hard on the hand forcing her to drop her hammer.

"Stupid pests!" Ran shouted swiping at them.

She felt a hit in her stomach as Chiya decided to have some fun, landing a hard punch in Ran's stomach, knocking her back several feet. "This is what you get for involving yourselves with the Sanzo party."

"Ha…do you think they'd let us come if we didn't know how to defend ourselves?" Ran asked standing back up and stumbling a little. "I'm not that easy to defeat and neither are the others."

"You've already been defeated," Chiya declared swarming Ran with bats again. Then broke through them herself with a blow that went right through Ran's side. "Heh, with your death I shall present your fallen body to that red headed womanizer and the blond monk."

"Heh…you think that killed me? That wasn't even a tickle," Ran murmured her eyes hidden in shadow. "I was hoping for a real fight but all you're giving me is child's play."

"You arrogant little…" Chiya growled but suddenly stopped. "No… my brother…"

"Dead… isn't he?" Ran asked. "And you're next."

"You'll pay for this!" Chiya shouted hurling more bats at Ran. Ran smirked and watched as they come before raising her hands in front of her and they started to glow.

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Back at the camp, Gojyo and Sanzo had been fighting off the creatures nonstop. But after a while, the bats seemed to finally be thinning out. "Geez, don't you have any bat spray in that robe of yours?" Gojyo asked Sanzo, brandishing his chain scythe at the flying monsters.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion coming from the direction Ran and Goku had gone. "I don't like this Sanzo…I'm going to check on Ran and Goku," Gojyo said smacking more bats away. "I know, I heard something from Karin and Hakkai's direction as well. Why don't you go check on them?"

Sanzo muttered something under his breath about this being troublesome but he headed off after Hakkai and Gojyo left to find Ran.

When Gojyo found them, Goku was on the ground unconscious while Ran was bleeding in her side while standing over a bloodied Chiya who was looking fearful. "I thought you said this fight was supposed to be fun?" Ran said kicking the demon. "Come on, get up and fight." She kicked her harder. "I said get up you piece of trash."

"Hey, Ran take it easy would ya?" Gojyo said placing a hand on her shoulder in order to stop her. "I'm all for cat fights but I think you're taking this a bit far."

"Back off cherry head or do you wanna join in?" Ran asked him dangerously.

"Well, if it's a threesome you wanted you should have just said something," Gojyo replied with a small smirk.

Ran stared at him before her face suddenly went red. "Grah! Why do you have to be such a perv about everything!"

Then she reeled slightly and Gojyo caught her. "I think you've had enough fighting for one night."

"Fighting?" Ran muttered confused.

Gojyo didn't have a chance to speculate on her question as Chiya took their moment of distraction to attack. "Now you will die for all you've done," she shrieked hysterically.

"I really think you should stop fighting as well," Gojyo said standing up and pulling out his staff in one smooth motion before striking her and ending the fight with one blow. "Come on," he said helping Ran stay steadied. "Let's get you back to camp."

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"Karin!" Hakkai called to her as he wandered around in the dark. "Karin!"

"I'm right here, Hakkai." He turned and there she was smiling softly at him. "I'm still waiting, Hakkai." Hakkai stared at her trying to piece together what it was that she meant.

"Gono…" Hakkai felt his heart ache at the distant but familiar voice.

Slowly he turned to see Kanan standing behind him with a sad smile. "Are you leaving me, Gono? Do you not love me anymore?"

"Kanan…" Hakkai whispered hoarsely.

"Don't worry Hakkai," Karin told him kindly. "I can wait."

Suddenly Hakkai understood what she had been trying to tell him and gently pulled her into a hug. "I do love you Karin…but I don't think I can possibly be allowed to," Hakkai thought weakly.

Suddenly Karin vanished from his arms and a sharp pain wracked his body while the smell of grass filled his nostrils. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. "It was a dream," he thought pulling himself up and finding Karin lying next to him.

Her face and hands were covered in blood and her clothes were torn in certain places and nearby lay the dead demon. He pulled himself over to Karin's prone figure and gently pulled her close. "Come, let's get back to camp…I'm sure the others are worried about us," he whispered.

"Need a hand?" A deep voice asked above him.

Hakkai looked up to see a pair of violet eyes frowning down at him. Hakkai smiled. "Yes, that would be fantastic."

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When Karin woke up she had a hard time pulling herself into a sitting position. "I'm glad to see you're awake," a soft voice said and she looked up to see Hakkai sitting close by.

Glancing around, she saw everyone else sleeping peacefully. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you would have been able to tell me." He spoke quietly so as not to disturb the others. "By the time I woke up, the demon that attacked us was dead, and you were covered in blood."

"Weird," Karin mumbled.

"I'm just glad that you weren't badly hurt," Hakkai said brushing her hair out of the right side of her face as if double checking for any injury.

His hand froze as he noticed something strange. "What's wrong?" Karin asked surprised.

"Has your right eye always been green?" Hakkai asked keeping his voice steady.

"No…both my eyes are blue and always have been," Karin replied confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing," Hakkai said quickly letting her hair flow back into place. In the meantime Ran stirred and groaned heavily before trying to sit up.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," Hakkai told her. "You took on quite a lot of poison, both you and Goku. I'm just glad that Karin was kind enough to label all of her antidotes."

"Poison?" Ran asked glancing around at the sleeping group. "What happened? I could have sworn Goku and I were just bringing back that buck." She lied back down and could feel something really painful in her side.

"It seems you both are suffering from memory loss," Hakkai said thoughtfully.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Karin murmured before lying back down.

"Just rest, both of you. If you so desire I'll help to fill in whatever blanks I can when you're feeling better," Hakkai promised.

"Thanks Hakkai," Ran said before going back to sleep.

"Hey Hakkai," Karin started as her eyelids began to flutter.

"Yes?"

"Thank you….for helping me earlier."

"Your welcome," Hakkai said smiling as Karin fell asleep. "I know it's selfish of me to ask…but please wait for me a little longer," he whispered softly.

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CM: Next time on Saiyuki....

Goku: Huh? Homura???? What are you guys doing here?

Sanzo: Damn, another troublesome predicament.

Hakkai: What could they possibly want with Ran and Karin?

Gojyo: I got a really bad feeling about this.

CM: The three gods pay the Sanzo party a visit. Stay tuned! ^_^


	8. Wake up Call

CM: Everyone, I sincerely apologize. I accidentally reposted chapter 6 as chapter 8. It's been a long week _. So once again, I apologize and I'd like to thank kireisama for bringing that to my attention. Here's the REAL chapter eight. Enjoy!

**Wake up Call- The God's Cruel Hand**

Even though the next morning the four guys had recapped the whole of the battle for Ran and Karin, the two girls still found it difficult to remember exactly how the demon had been taken care of. But no one dwelled on it for very long, and a week later they were happily traveling along rolling hills of green on a clear sunny day.

"It's so beautiful out here," Karin commented aloud.

"Yeah, you've mentioned that already," Ran told her, smiling. "I don't blame you though…it does remind me of home."

"I thought your home was a valley?" Gojyo said from the back of Hakuryuu.

"It is…but the greenness and the peace is pretty similar," Ran explained happily. Suddenly there was a loud crash and some smoke rose from their right. "I take it back…the peace was just disturbed."

Chihiro stopped in her tracks and let out a low growl at the disturbance, looking keen on facing it head on. Hakkai had stopped the jeep a little ways from them and they all stared as three silhouettes began to appear through the thick cloud of smoke.

When it cleared, three men stood before them, all with markings on their foreheads. "Not these guys again," Sanzo muttered.

"It's good to see you again, Sanzo party," the center one greeted them in a friendly manner.

"Um…friends of yours?" Ran asked glancing over at the others.

"Oh I see you have added two more to your group. They are quite the beauties aren't they," the center one said looking over Ran and Karin.

"Why did these guys have to show up?" Goku complained.

"Um…excuse me please we don't want any trouble so if you could let us pass that would be great," Karin said politely.

"Sorry but I'm afraid we can't allow you pass…just yet," the center one said smiling. Suddenly the three of them vanished and appeared in between the girls and the boys.

"Ran! Karin!" Goku shouted and he, Gojyo, and Hakkai tried to leap into action but the one with blue hair stopped them in their tracks with his dual whips.

"You bastard! Don't drag them into this!" Goyjo growled.

"How unkind," the blue-haired one said. "Homura simply wants a word. It would be rude to interrupt."

"Thank you, Shien," the one named Homura said as he approached Karin. Chihiro growled at him but he raised a hand and stared at the creature intensely.

Suddenly Chihiro for some reason or another settled down, almost going into a trance. "What do you want?" Karin asked him uncertainly as she watched the third guy approach Ran not too far away.

"Wow, I'm surprised by just how much you resemble him…your father I mean," Homura said placing a hand on Karin's cheek. "The likeness between the two of you is…uncanny."

His words took the breath from Karin's lungs. "How do you know my father?"

"We were very good friends," Homura told her cordially. Karin stood frozen, staring into his mismatched eyes, hardly even feeling his hand brushing away the hair from the right side of her face. "I see… it's just as I feared. You poor thing. You've had such a hard time...haven't you? I think it's now time to show just how much pain you've been in," Homura whispered as he moved her hair out of her face and stared at her limiters.

Meanwhile Ran was in for a shock of her own. "So you're Ran…boy you sure do resemble Hotaru...you've got her feistiness," the orange haired one said.

"How do you know Hotaru?" Ran asked suspiciously.

"Your mother was quite the flighty character…which is probably why she decided to go with that human. After all…I could have been your daddy."

"Really Zenon must you torment her with vague details," Shien asked.

"What?" Ran asked glancing between Zenon and Shien in disbelief.

"I don't know where the hell you guys get off at picking on these two, but you're seriously asking for it," Gojyo said drawing out his weapon.

"I agree. Those two have nothing to do with you," Hakkai said looking serious.

"How very callous," Homura said sparing the group a glance. "None of you have even tried to understand the nature of these two, even though you all must have clearly sensed it as a blind mind feels the morning sun on his skin."

"Sensed what?" Gojyo demanded angrily.

"You'll see," Homura replied yanking off the limiters on Karin's wrists.

"Don't do that," Hakkai shouted…a little too late. Karin grabbed her clothes trying very hard to not lose herself as her ears grew pointed and her nails grew long. There also appeared on the right side of her body swirling tattoos.

"Karin," Ran said turning toward her friend.

She was stopped, however, as Zenon's hand grabbed onto her chin forcing her face toward his. "There's no need for you to worry about her…your beauty will join hers in destroying this area."

"Karin…" Hakkai whispered.

"See what you have done, Tenpou?" Homura said stepping away from Karin as the markings spread from her face down her neck and arm. "Now this lovely creature is destined to a terrible fate. And here I thought you were much kinder than that."

"What?" Hakkai stuttered surprised.

"By putting your demon blood into this beauty you've condemned her," Homura explained taking several steps back. "Now let's see what her powers really are like."

By this time Karin's transformation was complete and she stared at the Sanzo party with ominous eyes. "Hey Hakkai…is Karin okay?" Goku asked somewhat frightened.

"I don't know Goku," Hakkai said feeling nothing familiar from her.

"Let Ran go," Gojyo shouted as he managed to get past Shien and rushed Zenon.

"Right on time," Zenon thought releasing Ran's chin and jumping out of Gojyo's range.

"I'll teach you to mess around with women!" Gojyo told Zenon, attacking him with his chain scythe.

"Hah, don't make me laugh!" Zenon shot back, dodging Gojyo's attacks before shooting at him.

"Hakkai… why is Karin looking at us like that?" Goku asked him with worry.

Hakkai could only stare at the demon before him. Even after having transformed, she was still beautiful. Painfully beautiful. Her luminescent eyes gazed at them as a lion would its prey.

Slowly she stepped forward and opened her mouth, allowing a few notes to ring through the air. Hakkai gasped as it felt as if barbed wired were being pulled through his skull and his heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest.

"Agh! It hurts!" Goku screamed, falling to his knees.

Gojyo too froze in his fight, covering his ears in pain. "Gojyo…are you okay? What's wrong?" Ran shouted at him.

He didn't reply and Ran saw Zenon slowly take aim and pull the trigger. She ran toward Gojyo as fast as she could determined to stop it one way or another…she had to stop it. She reached Gojyo just in time and the bullet embedded itself into her side.

"Ran!" Gojyo shouted, managing to overcome the terrible singing long enough to look up at her. She stood there, clutching her side, blood dripping between hers fingers and staining the green grass.

"Is that all you've got?" Ran asked Zenon. She smiled at him, her hazel eyes glowing with amusement. "That felt like a mosquito bite."

Zenon himself was smiling. "Yep… just like her mother."

"Ran you should sit down, that wound doesn't look too good," Gojyo said trying to stand again.

"Oh shut up Cherry head…this is nothing. I'll destroy this guy in no time and if you get in my way then you'll be next," Ran said angrily. "Now, let's have a good fight. And don't make it boring for me like that bat guy…I want this to be a challenge."

Sanzo had struggled to pull his gun out and take a shot at Karin in order to get her to stop singing. The latter worked, but the three were astounded too since the bullet was deflected by an invisible force. "Karin, please stop," Hakkai pleaded with her.

The corners of her mouth barely lifted slightly. She lifted her hand and held it there in front of her and energy began to gather in the center of her palm.

"You are a nuisance," she said elegantly. "I will end your sorrow." She fired the energy that had gathered at Hakkai who threw up a barrier only to have it shatter under the force of Karin's attack.

"Hakkai, what do we do?" Goku asked staring at demon Karin. "We can't just fight her…we could end up killing her."

"So what?" Sanzo said loading his gun.

"Sanzo!" Goku shouted at him in disbelief.

"Don't forget we have our own mission," Sanzo harshly reminded them. "Anyone who gets in the way of that is nothing more than an obstacle."

"It appears you understand the immediate situation," Homura said suddenly appearing behind Karin. The boys swore they blinked only once but they still didn't see Karin's movement as she turned on Homura to attack. One moment she had been facing them, the next Homura was holding her by the wrist, her sharp teeth and nails bared. "Amazing how a mixing of blood can have such an affect," Homura speculated holding Karin in place with apparent ease. "I believe you've had enough fun for now," he continued placing the bracelets back on her wrists. As soon as they were both on, her appearance returned to normal and she collapsed into Homura's arms. "You really should learn to take better care of your friends…Tenpou."

Hakkai's teeth were clenched and his body was shaking with apparent anger. "You've made your point. Now give her back."

"I have no desire to take her from you…but you really should understand what these ladies are before you blow off any… peculiarities," Homura told him lying Karin gently on the ground. "Shien, Zenon, we're leaving."

"Well, it looks like you're going to have to deal with this little firecracker on your own carrot top," Zenon said with a smirk before he vanished along with the other two.

"What the hell did he mean by that?" Gojyo wondered. Hakkai meanwhile had run over to Karin's side making sure that she was alright.

"Hey you can't run away in the middle of a fight. Get back here already…I was hoping for a challenge but all you gave me was some cheap tricks," Ran shouted angry that her opponent had fled. "Fine…run away like a coward. Hey Cherry top care to give me a shot?"

"You've already got one so I'm not sure what else I could do," Gojyo replied not catching onto what was happening…or refusing to believe it.

"This is nothing but a paper cut," Ran said pointing at the wound that blood was pouring out of. "Now prepare yourself…cause if I get bored…then you're dead where you stand."

Gojyo stared at her, not believing his ears. "Hey, I know I bug you but are you really willing to take it that far?"

"Be careful, Gojyo," Hakkai called over to him. "She's not in her right state of mind. If you're not careful she really might hurt you."

"You don't say," Gojyo said with a smile. "That's fine by me. I've always liked my women rough. Who knows? Maybe after this we can kiss and make up."

"I don't care what you do…just make this fight interesting alright," Ran said as she pulled out her hammer and plowed into the ground making a huge crater where he was a split second before. "Well at least you can move…I might have fun after all." She was moving faster than she ever did before and was holding her hammer with one hand.

As she swung her hammer right and left, she used her free hand to randomly use blasts of energy that missed Gojyo by mere inches. "Gojyo is her face supposed to be that pale?" Goku asked worriedly.

'Something's definitely not right here,' Gojyo thought to himself. 'But what is it? I always knew that there was something about her and Karin that was different, but what could it be that would turn her into this? And how do I snap her out of it?' Suddenly he had an idea. A crazy one but it just might work. "You know, Ran, I've always wondered if your skills in fighting matched your skills in bed."

"You idiot I thought I told you not to say crap like that," Ran shouted throwing her mini hammer at him. As soon as she did her face fell and she reached for her side where the bullet hit and collapsed on the ground. "Crap…where did this come from?" she muttered as blood spilled from her mouth and her wound.

"Hakkai, I could use some help over here," Gojyo shouted over at him.

Hakkai had picked up Karin and placed her into Hakuryuu before coming over to where Ran was. "Let's get these two some place safe to rest," Hakkai said. "Gojyo, could you drive while I tend to Ran's wounds?"

"Sure thing," Gojyo said nodding.

"Say Hakkai…is Karin okay?" Ran mumbled softly as he placed her in the back of Hakuryuu and started working on her side.

"She's in a lot better shape than you. She's unconscious but she's hasn't been injured," Hakkai explained with a hesitant smile.

"That's good…she had me worried back there," Ran murmured flinching slightly.

"Can you remember anything at all?" Gojyo asked over his shoulder as he drove.

"I remember right up to when you were fighting Zenon. After that, it went all black," Ran told him truthfully.

Gojyo and Hakkai exchanged glances while Sanzo's eyes closed in thought. "Huh? You mean you don't remember how you--" Goku began.

"That's enough out of you, monkey boy," Gojyo swiftly cut him off.

"But--"

"Goku, listen to Gojyo for once," Hakkai told him.

Ran looked up at Hakkai in confusion as he was the only one she could see. "What did Goku mean?" she asked slowly.

"It's nothing," Hakkai said quickly. "Anyway you need to get some sleep. I've done what I can for now but it'll take a lot longer to heal if you don't get the proper amount of rest."

"Okay…promise me you'll explain to us what happened later okay," Ran demanded weakly. No one answered and she knew that something bad had happened. "Gojyo…please?"

Gojyo didn't look at her. "If you go to sleep right now I'll think about it."

Ran heaved a sigh. "Alright." And not two seconds after she lay back she passed out.

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Homura stared out the west window of the tower seated upon Mt. Ryokai watching the sun set on the horizon, its orange light casting everything in a mystical glow. "Quite the interesting pair… you must be very proud. She was exactly like you were when I first met you."

"Not exactly…I didn't have demon blood running through my veins," a voice responded from the shadows.

"True…though she does care a lot about those demon friends of hers, and Tenpou seems extremely attached to her. They may become a couple if given the right amount of time," Homura expressed taking a deep breath.

"This is hardly the time to speak such nonsense," the voice had suddenly turned hard. "The fact of what she is, is enough to contend with."

"I can see the years have made you cold, Setsuna," Homura said finally looking over at the man.

"I've spent more time on earth than you have, Homura," Setsuna replied darkly. "She will no longer be accepted anywhere. Neither of them will be."

"They will be accepted in the human community until word gets out about what they are," Homura told him. "Even they don't know quite yet."

"It doesn't matter…eventually the two of them will be attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Unless they can learn to control themselves they are a threat to everyone around them and themselves," Setsuna said shaking his head. "If you think that what you're doing will help them…then I trust you, otherwise I'm taking over."

"If you truly feel that way, then why don't you look after them? I need someone to watch the Sanzo party's movement for me anyway," Homura suggested amiably.

"You would have me spy on them?" Setsuna asked incredulously.

"If you do not wish to, then please pay me no heed. I would never ask you to do something you didn't want to," Homura said turning back to the window.

"Very well, I will keep an eye on them," Setsuna agreed.

"Thank you, my dear friend. I have some planning to do for the future so you can start keeping them in check. They are currently headed for Ketsu. They'll be staying there for a time so you should have no trouble catching up to them," Homura explained staring out the window again.

Setsuna gave a single nod before turning and left without another word. "You don't realize just how much I envy you, my friend," Homura murmured closing his eyes and picturing the young woman's face once more that shared so many qualities of her father.

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CM: Next time....

Goku: What... I swear I didn't kill anyone!

Hakkai: It's my fault.....

Sanzo: Everyone's gone... it's over....

Gojyo: This always happens.... it never fails....

CM: Stay tuned for the next chapter of Fire and Blood! Please review. :)


	9. Welcome to my Nightmare

**Welcome to my Nightmare- Dark Visions**

Back at Ketsu the Sanzo party just arrived at the inn and put both Karin and Ran to bed without waking them up. They had traveled for the first time in complete silence all of them lost in their own thoughts. "What do you think is going on with those two? What could they possibly be that could cause such a thing to happen?" Goku asked voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Well, we know what's up with Karin," Gojyo said as tactfully as he could, glancing over at Hakkai who just stared into his glass with the untouched drink. "Ran's another story. We need to figure out what's wrong."

"Good luck with that," Sanzo muttered taking a sip of beer.

"Aren't you the slightest bit concerned, you blond prick?" Gojyo asked, rhetorically of course because he knew what the answer was before he even asked.

"You're the ones who wanted them to come along," Sanzo reminded them.

"I know…but I never expected something like this to happen," Gojyo replied staring at the ground.

"None of us did. We were too caught up in the thrill of being with those two again. They're a lot of fun after all," Hakkai muttered sadly.

"You aren't thinking about sending them home are you?" Goku asked suddenly.

"I don't think they'd go even if we told them to," Gojyo laughed bitterly.

"I don't think sending them back is an option at this point," Hakkai said seriously. "We don't know if their conditions are going to improve or worsen over time. If we were to send them away now, it might only cause terrible repercussions."

"The same goes for if they stay with us," Sanzo pointed out.

"We know that…but maybe we'll find a way to protect them," Gojyo said hopefully. "Homura did say that there might be a way to keep them from getting like that again."

"Don't forget we have a mission of our own. We can't afford any more delays like the ones these two have been giving us," Sanzo reminded them harshly.

"Right, because we've never had delays without those two before," Gojyo remarked sarcastically.

"You keep shooting your mouth off and I'll shoot it right off," Sanzo said pulling out his gun.

"Go ahead and try it!"

"Knock it off you guys!" Goku shouted.

"Everyone please… " Hakkai said trying to keep everyone from blowing up at each other and tearing the place apart.

"What's going on?" A soft, tired voice asked from the doorway.

'Karin…' Hakkai thought, her voice bringing him pain, though this time of a different nature.

"Hey how you feeling?" Gojyo asked thankful for a reason to stop the conversation.

"A little foggy…but other than that not too bad," Karin replied slowly. "What happened?"

They all looked away for a moment and Karin noticed that Hakkai hadn't moved from staring at his glass…at all. "We fought with those three and the two of you passed out. Other than that not much," Gojyo replied shooting a look to Goku to not say a word.

"I guess Homura must've done something to me… I'm sorry," Karin apologized, bowing her head.

"Don't sweat it," Gojyo told her smiling. "How's Ran doing?"

"She's still dead asleep," Karin told him. "But I think she's okay because she was talking about cookies in her sleep." Suddenly her stomach gave a small growl and she gave an embarrassed giggle.

"I think your tummy is trying to tell you something," Gojyo said taking the last meat bun from Goku's hands and tossing it to Karin. "Eat up."

"That was mine you jerk!"

"Hey, ladies have first privilege over dumb monkeys."

"You can have it back if you want," Karin said offering it up.

"Thanks," Goku exclaimed reaching for it.

Hakkai stopped him, however, and spoke to Karin without looking at her. "You need to eat it…it'll help you recover."

"Um…okay," Karin said eating it slowly.

"A giant donut," Ran mumbled in her sleep turning over one way and then twitching before going back onto her back.

* * *

The next few days were fairly solemn ones. Ran and Karin knew that something was wrong but no matter how many times they asked the boys would insist that it was nothing they needed to worry about. But what the two girls had noticed most was how distant Hakkai and Gojyo had become.

Hakkai refused to look at Karin and Gojyo hadn't made one perverted comment, which Ran found strangely bothering for her. Gojyo wouldn't even shout at Goku for grumbling about food…Sanzo still got mad but there was no fight over who got the food.

On the fourth day of this silent treatment Ran got fed up with the silence and the lack of arguing that usually accompanied the trip. "Okay spit it out already. You guys haven't been yourselves lately and this silence is really starting to grate on my nerves," Ran said one day slamming her hand on the dinner table. None of the guys said anything which only made things worse. "Look if you're worried that we're going to get in your way again, Karin and I could just head out to the north and let you get on your merry way. I'm sure that if we did you guys would finally start acting like yourselves again."

Karin didn't say anything, but she clandestinely felt the same way. She wanted to continue traveling with them, but not if her presence was going to cause them to be so downcast. "If we wanted you two gone then we would have been rid of you long before now," Sanzo assured her in a voice that suggested they should be grateful he hadn't done so already.

"If that's true then why don't you tell us what's going on? You're so bent on keeping us in the dark that you're hurting yourselves…big time. To be honest I miss the fighting and the arguments…and yes even your comments," Ran said motioning at Gojyo at the end. When Gojyo didn't even react to her last statement Ran shook her head. "You know what forget it. If you guys want to fall into depression over something so small then go ahead…alert me when you rejoin reality."

Karin watched as Ran got up and left the table. Then she looked back at them. "As much as I would like to disagree with her, what she says is true. This isn't like you guys at all." Karin looked at each one of them but none would look her in the eyes. "Why won't you guys just look at us? If we did something to upset you guys then just tell us already." She turned to Hakkai as her last resort. "Well, Hakkai?" He didn't acknowledge that he heard her. "Say something."

"There's nothing to say," he said dully.

"If we offended you or did something wrong we're sorry. How can we get across to you what we're trying to say if you don't even pay us the courtesy of looking at us when we're talking?" Karin asked almost tearfully.

"You didn't do anything. What's bothering us is not your fault," Gojyo muttered looking at a spot in front of her.

"But it's something to do with us isn't it?" Karin asked. Nobody would answer not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell her either. "I think I'll join Ran," she said sadly standing up and leaving.

"Guys…" Goku said after a while. "Why can't we just tell them? I'm sick of this."

"Goku, do you remember how you felt when we told you about how you nearly killed all of us?" Hakkai asked him.

"Yeah…" Goku replied slowly thinking about how scared and angry at himself he had been. "Okay so if we can't tell them then why don't we go on as if nothing happened? Obviously it makes it worse to keep it to ourselves and then treat them as if they're dangerous."

"I agree, Goku," Hakkai said with a staid smile. "If we continue on like this, then it might only cause more problems."

"But telling them might not be a good idea at this point," Gojyo said.

"Just remember, not telling the whole truth is the same thing as lying," Sanzo said taking a swig of beer. "I honestly could care less if you tell them or not. But if this little guilt trip of yours is going to affect what little efficiency you have then I'd just as soon leave you all here and now."

"Oh…you boys seem troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?" a young female voice asked smiling.

"No there's nothing you can do," Gojyo muttered without looking at her.

"Oh that's too bad…I could have sworn the four of you were worried about those two females," she said grinning. Goku looked at her and nearly freaked as he noticed she wasn't human. He was too late though as a strong scent filled the room and the four fell unconscious. "Heh, with the Sanzo party in such a slump they were easy to destroy. Now that my incense has taken hold of them, there won't be any escape for them," she took out a jar from her robes and pulled out four dark green colored leech worms. Then she easily place one in each of the four boys' ears. "Soon I'll be thriving off of their torment and they will slowly waste away in their own despair."

* * *

Sanzo awoke to the smell of smoke and dried blood. He looked around his room and found that it was falling apart. The walls were cracked and the ceiling looked like it could cave it at any time. He reached inside his cloak and found that he was out of cigarettes and the lighter was broken. Then he noticed that the scripture was missing. He stood up and walked toward the window as a scream split the air.

Looking out the window he saw a complete wasteland. Corpses and blood stained the barren ground. Smoke and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air, and the sky was a blazing red. "What the hell is going on?" Sanzo muttered out loud. He decided that standing around wasn't going to get him anywhere or any smokes so he figured he should search around and find someone with information.

As he headed out the door to the room a demon came out of nowhere and attacked him. "So there's still a human alive?" he said surprised. "What a treat."

In no time, however, Sanzo had the demon on the ground with his banishing gun pointed at him. "Alright you're going to give me some answers or I'm going to kill you got it," Sanzo threatened.

The demon's eyes widened. "Genjo Sanzo… so you're still alive. And here I thought we slew the last of you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sanzo asked impatiently. "Where are Hakkai and the others?"

The demon laughed. "Have you've been under a rock for several months? They're all dead! Lord Gyoumau was resurrected seven months ago. As soon as he came back he slaughtered your group…starting with the women. Once their deaths were made the other three easily fell," the demon declared. "It's amazing that you're the only one who survived." *bang* Sanzo had had enough of that demon and killed him before he could say anything more.

Sanzo stared down at the dead demon with disgust before turning on his heel and he began walking. And kept walking. He wasn't sure how far he had walked, he didn't keep track of when it was day or night. He might have been walking for hours, or possibly weeks. Whenever he tripped or stumbled he would continue on, refusing to slow. He had failed… Why was he wandering? He had failed… What was he looking for?

Then the next time he actually noticed where he was, he saw a large graveyard off to his right. He stared at it for awhile before something made him enter. He wandered between the headstones unsure of what it was he was doing there in the first place. After several minutes of walking among the tombstones he spotted a group of six over in a corner. He walked over to where they were and found, written on the stones were the names: Sha Gojyo, Cho Hakkai, Son Goku, Ran Sato, Karin Hanaii, Chihiro, and Hakuryuu.

Somehow, Sanzo found himself on his knees. It was all over… he had failed. They were all gone. Everything was gone. There was nothing left for him. Nothing.

* * *

Hakkai lifted his head from the table and glanced around. The room was completely empty. "Where did everyone go?" He thought to himself.

There was a terrified scream that split the air and a song that grated at his body. Fearfully he recognized the song and ran out the door toward the source. Then he spotted a tall demonic figure with long dark auburn hair and a scar just below her left shoulder. "Karin," Hakkai murmured. She looked at him with her blue and green eyes as she easily killed the woman behind her without turning around.

The demonic and virtuous beauty that engulfed her being was impossible to describe. As Hakkai stared at her, he felt compelled to tear his eyes out of his own skull for his unworthiness to look upon her. "So," she spoke, her voice resonating in his head despite how soft it sounded. "Have you come to correct your mistake?"

"What do you mean?" Hakkai asked afraid of what her answer would be.

"You made me this way by giving me your blood," Karin told him elegantly. "I assumed that after killing so many…you would wish to correct the mistake that you made." Hakkai was unable to answer her. He could only stare. "Hmm, it would seem that tongue of yours doesn't appear to be working very well," Karin said stepping forward. "Perhaps I should rip it out."

She walked toward him as slowly and effortlessly as a wave flowing across the ocean. He only realized just how much trouble he was in when he found her standing only a couple feet in front of him. He managed to jump to the side just as she reached out with her long nails aiming for his face.

"Karin, please stop!" Hakkai pleaded.

"Why should I? This is what you want isn't it? To be executed for your sins?" She was so fast that Hakkai was having difficulties keeping up with her. Then he felt a pain in his left ear as she took a swipe at him. He gripped his left ear and to his horror he felt his limiters were gone.

"There, now we can have an equal fight and you won't hold back," Karin said expectantly. Hakkai's ears began to grow and his fingernails lengthened as tattoos of leaves spread across his body. When the transformation was done Hakkai prepared himself to fight.

What happened afterwards was a blur. But by the time Hakkai gathered himself up again, Karin was lying on the ground, tired and beaten, but back to normal. Hakkai was relieved that she didn't seem too badly hurt. "Karin, please come with me," he told her. "We can fix this. I'll do anything I can to help you."

"I can't Hakkai," Karin said weakly pulling herself off the ground. "I can't do this anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone." She pulled a knife out of no where. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be good enough for you."

"WAIT KARIN, you don't have to do that," Hakkai pleaded. "I'll protect you…I'll keep you safe and find a way to keep this from happening ever again."

"I can't take that chance again…I'm sorry," Karin repeated. Then she closed her eyes and plunged the knife into her chest.

"KARIN!!" Hakkai shouted unable to do anything to stop it. "It's happening again…just like with Kanan," he thought falling to his knees and just stared at her as the blood continued to flow unendingly. It kept flowing until his hands ran red with it. "She's gone… I couldn't protect her. It's all my fault…" He stared as the blood began to spread down his arms and over his body. "Somebody… PLEASE KILL ME!"

* * *

When Gojyo woke up he found himself in an open field staring up at the stars in the sky. "You awake? Well it's about time sleepy head," a voice laughed from his right. "You passed out there for a bit…you must have been more tired than you thought." He turned his head and found Ran lying next to him with an amused look on her face. "I thought you said you were going to stay up all night or something," she laughed. "I guess you were wrong about that."

"I guess I must have been dreaming earlier," Gojyo said sitting up and rubbing his head. He glanced around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hehe, we ditched them at the inn, remember? It was you're idea after all."

"It was?"

"You must really be out of it," Ran said shaking her head.

"Wow that was a nightmare," Gojyo muttered sitting up and rubbing his head.

"That bad huh…I don't know you looked pretty peaceful to me," Ran said shrugging. "What was it about…or do you not want to talk about it?"

"No it doesn't matter what it was…it's over and thankfully I won't have to worry about it again," Gojyo replied with a smile.

"Great!" Ran said jumping up. "Race you to the river."

"Hey, wait up," Gojyo called to her, but she kept running. Suddenly a shadow rushed past and Ran gave a yell and her back was slashed open.

"RAN," Gojyo shouted running toward her and keeping a look out for the figure that had attacked.

"What are you shouting about Cherry top?" Ran said as she stood up straight and unflinching. "If you're worried about this little thing don't be. I'm about to do a lot worse to you." With that she pulled out her war hammer holding it with one hand. With the other she held it out at her side and an energy blast shot from it and hit the shadowed person. "What are you waiting for…I'm wide open."

"Not again," Gojyo thought. "Ran, he's dead. There's no more reason to fight."

"What? Are you scared?" Ran said swinging her hammer back and forth as if it were no heavier than a polo mallet. "Come on, be a demon and fight me."

"I don't want to hurt you," Gojyo said without pulling his weapon.

"You hurt me? As if you could even touch me you worthless half-breed," Ran retorted with a smirk. "I get it…you're afraid you won't be a challenge for me because you're only half a demon. In that case maybe I should go find that stupid monkey…I'm sure he'd be a fun fight."

"You're not going anywhere like that," Gojyo said blocking her path.

"So you'll fight me then?"

"No, I won't fight you, but I do intend to stop you."

"Really? And how do you plan to do that?" Ran asked.

"Well you can't fight and do the horizontal tango now can you?" Gojyo said smiling.

"And I want to do that why?" Ran asked not even fazed.

Gojyo stared stunned, "Okay…that would usually work."

"If you don't have anything else to say I really do want to see how strong you are." Gojyo stalled a bit longer with as rude and grotesque of comments as he could come up with but not one fazed her at all. "I'm through listening to your stupidity," she said running toward him with her hammer brandished.

Gojyo realized that he had only one choice left…to fight and hope that he can find a way to snap her out of it. The fight was fast paced and Ran never let up on him no matter how much of her blood dyed the ground. Then Ran finally got the upper hand having blasted him with her energy. He sat up slowly clutching at his side as it burned and turned slightly black.

Ran stood over him menacingly and slightly disappointed. "I was sure you'd have given me a challenge…but I guess I was wrong," she muttered lowering her hand toward his face. "Now I'll end your worthlessness."

Before she could fire off her energy…a shot rang out and blood appeared on the left side of her chest running down her body like a river. Her eyes widened with fear and she toppled over onto Gojyo who caught her and laid her down carefully. He saw her breathing fast and was sure she wasn't going to make it unless he got help from Hakkai.

Quickly he glanced up to try to see who the attacker was and to his surprise Sanzo stood with his smoking pistol still pointed at where Ran had been. "You #$&* how could you do that?" Gojyo shouted at him. Sanzo didn't say a word but lowered his gun and walked away.

"G-Gojyo?" Ran whispered.

"Just hang in there Ran and I'll get you to Hakkai, alright," Gojyo ordered worriedly.

"I'm sorry Gojyo…I almost…killed you," she whispered barely making herself audible.

"It's not your fault Ran..."

"No…I wasn't strong enough…to control…myself."

"It's not your fault alright…just stay with me and I'll get you to Hakkai I promise."

"Gojyo…I…" Ran said the last few words too soft to hear. "I…" she tried to repeat as he felt her heart slow. Then to his horror her eyes closed and her whole body went limp.

As he held her limp body against his, sharp bitterness flowed through his entire being. Why did this happen? Why did this always happen to him? Why was it that every woman he managed to get even remotely close to always wound up dead? Was it his curse for being a half breed? 'It's no use…' he thought. 'I'll always be alone.'

* * *

Goku stirred awake, his head throbbing wildly and he groaned with pain as he sat up. "Man, what was that?" He looked around and his eyes widened in horror. All around him lay the corpses of all his friends. Karin lay on the ground with blood trickling down her face.

Next to her was Hakkai, his monocle broken and his face completely marred. Chihiro and Hakuryuu were close by also lifeless. Ran was barely visible beneath a pile of rocks. Gojyo lay not far off, his limbs sticking out at impossible angles. "No…" Goku whispered. And then he saw Sanzo with a hole through his chest and blood running out of his mouth. "Sanzo! SANZO!!"

"Son Goku," a deep voice said from behind. Goku turned around and saw several scary and stern looking men behind him. "Cease your futile cries. They can no longer hear you. They're…"

"No! They're not dead!" Goku said refusing to believe it.

"Of course they are. YOU killed them."

"That's not possible," Goku shouted staring at the corpses of his friends.

"They're gone and all because you removed your limiter," they told him pointing accusing fingers at him.

"But…I just wanted to save them," Goku found himself saying as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Whether you wanted to save them or not, this is the outcome of your actions. Now Son Goku, as there is no longer anyone to look out for you we have deemed you a threat to this world. You are hereby sentenced to imprisonment…for eternity."

Goku's eyes widened as shackles appeared on his wrists, ankles and neck. "No I don't want to go back," he shouted in despair.

They began dragging him away, and his nails became bloody and he clawed at the ground trying to get to his friends. He yelled out their names, calling for help, but they all remained lifeless. "Sanzo, don't let them take me away! Sanzo! SANZO!!"

* * *

CM: Next time on Saiyuki....

Ran: Guys! Are you okay?

Witch woman: You will not save them. They will be devoured by their own despair.

Ran: Karin, what are you doing? This isn't the time to be doing THAT!

Karin: Just trust me.... I think it might work.

CM: Will the boys make it out okay? Find out in the next chapter of Fire and Blood!


	10. Open up Your Mind

**Open up Your Mind-A Song that Pierces the Darkest Depths**

"Man, I can't believe those guys. I was worried at first about what it was, but now it just bugs me that they think we shouldn't know," Ran vented slamming her fist into a tree. "I mean, it's as if they think we can't take it…whatever it is."

Karin sat nearby running her fingers back and forth over the grass. "We can't force them to tell us if they don't want to. My biggest concern is their mood lately."

"Yeah…they do seem really out of it," Ran muttered sitting down next to her. "The way they are now, they'd be susceptible to almost any attack. Oh sorry…I probably shouldn't think like that," she quickly apologized after seeing Karin's face fall.

Suddenly the hairs on Karin's neck tingled and she looked towards the shadows. "Who's there?" She called out.

"If you value your friends' lives, you will return to the inn without delay," a whispering baritone voice told them.

"Who are you?" Ran demanded standing up swiftly.

"You really want to be asking questions when your friends' lives are in danger?" he asked quickly.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Ran looked at the ground in frustration.

"I think we should listen to him Ran…I don't know what it is but, something tells me we can trust him," Karin said standing up as well.

"Alright…we'll trust you. Let's go," Ran replied leading the way back.

Karin gave a single glance back at the shadows before following her friend. The shadow watched them leave with bright sapphire eyes. 'Why did I help them?' He wondered.

Karin and Ran burst into the inn minutes later to find the four boys lying on the ground in what looked to be bitter torment. "Hakkai!" Karin yelled running forward only to be stopped by a barrier.

"It's no use," a sultry female voice told them and they looked to see a demon woman looking very pleased with herself. "They are all fallen deep within there own nightmares, trapped in a future they fear the most. Soon their minds will fall into decay."

"Not if we can help it," Ran declared taking out her hammer and slamming it into the barrier. She stopped when she saw that her attack had no effect.

"You can't just burst in there like you did this inn. If anything so much as damages this barrier then their conditions will only worsen," the demon declared triumphantly. Karin threw her chakram at the woman but she easily deflected it. "Attacking me is useless," the demon declared. "Their despair flows into me and gives me unimaginable power. And soon, yours will as well, as you watch your friends slowly die."

"How could we not have realized this was happening?" Karin thought to herself painfully as she stared at Hakkai's anguished face. She had seen his face look that way before. And all she could do was… An idea dawned on her. "Ran, I think I know a way to reach them."

"Really? How do we do that?" Ran asked holding up her hammer ready to defend against the demon.

"We need to sing to them," Karin answered.

"Excuse me?"

"Well you know how lullabyes are soothing to people? I sang a lullaby to Hakkai when he was feeling down so maybe it'll work again."

"Well…maybe so." Ran glanced over at Karin and then returned her eyes to the demon. "So if we do that how are we going to keep demon woman off our backs?"

"Ha! Call their names and sing to them all you want," the woman laughed. "Your voices will never reach them."

"We'll just see," Karin said. She wondered what sort of song they should sing to them. Then suddenly words began forming in her mind and she opened her mouth, allowing them to float out with predetermined notes attached to them. It was almost as if someone was using her voice as a microphone.

"Moshimo ima subete ga umaku nante ikani, makesou ni naru toki datte," she sang, and then she heard Ran beside her sing the next part.

"Hitomi wo tojireba kokoro kara sekai ga miete kuru," Ran sang catching on. "In this world when life can be so tough you must be strong. Just believe in yourself and don't you fear. So open up your mind and close your eyes. Take another look from the other side."

The demon woman started to scream in anger as she felt her hold on the boys slipping. "I won't let you," she screamed rushing at them. She was stopped however, as Chihiro and Hakuryuu got in her way and kept her away from the girls.

_"Kodoku na yoru demo mayoi osoreru toki mo_

_ima wa hitori demo kono ashi de doko made mo_

_aruite ikeru hazu dakara"_

In their worlds the boys were momentarily distracted from their depression when they heard two people singing. "Someone's singing…" they all thought. "But who?"

Karin and Ran raised their voices, allowing their words to ring through the air.

"Just hold on tight _hitomi tojita nara_

Look inside yourself _kagayaki ga aru kara_

Yes, _subete shinjite hoshii_

You can take another look from the other side

Just hold on tight _kokoro kujikete mo_

Reach into your soul _ashita ga mienakute mo_

Yes, _ikiru tsuyosa ga areba_

You can take another look from the other side"

CRASH! They watched as the barrier was split apart and they watch the fragments rain down before fading away.

_"Ai no subete ni deau made..."_

Karin ran over to Hakkai and tried to sit him up, but he still seemed to be suffering from an internal struggle. "Someone… please kill me," he whispered. Karin's eyes welled up with tears and she felt a lump in her throat but she forced herself to keep singing.

Ran stooped down next to Gojyo and continued singing while keeping one eye on the demon. To her sadness she could still hear him saying that he would always be alone.

_kono sekai de ikinuite-iku tame no tsuyosa wo_

_anata ni negatte-iru kara_

_kokoro no tobira wo hiraitara _[1]

_nanika ga miete kuru_

"Who's singing?" they all thought looking around them for the source of the sound. Then Sanzo spotted both Ran and Karin floating above him with concerned faces both reaching down and trying to get him to take their hands.

Just remember you are not alone

So don't you fear

Even though you're miles away

I'm by your side

So open up your mind and close your eyes

I'll be there for you no matter where you are

Hakkai looked up and saw Karin standing over him with a kind smile.

_hoshi no inochi nara nagai kedo itsu made mo_

_onaji kono hibi ga kurikaesu wake ja nai_

_ashita wa dare ni mo mienai_

Gojyo looked up and saw Ran above him gesturing heavily for him to take her hand.

Just hold on tight _hitomi tojita nara_

Look inside yourself _kodou kanjiru kara_

Yes, "MIRAI" _shinjite hoshii_

You can take another look from the other side

Goku felt the chains slacken and the men disappear and looked up to see both Ran and Karin reaching for him, calling him to them.

Just hold on tight _kokoro kujikete mo_

Reach into your soul _ashita ga mienakute mo_

Yes, _chigau sekai ga atte_

You can take another look from the other side

_ai no subete ni deaeru yo..._

As the song came to a close Ran and Karin saw these dark green worm/leech creatures slide out of their ears unmoving. "Wow those things are gross," Ran thought moving Gojyo away from one.

"No my precious babies," the demon cried seeing the worms on the ground. "How could you kill them?"

"Anyone who dares to hurt our friends must pay the price," Karin replied coldly.

"I'm hungry," Goku muttered stirring and sitting up. Ran smiled and looked down as Gojyo started stirring as well.

Hakkai sat up slowly after his eyes opened, and placed a hand to his head. Soon afterwards Karin hugged him tightly and said, "Thank goodness you're all right."

Hakkai was stunned for several moments. Then, slowly, his arms enclosed over her in a tight embrace. He never would have thought he would be as grateful to have her in his arms as he was at that moment. Karin must have sensed his respite because she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that."

"No, I should be sorry," Hakkai replied pulling her in closer.

Gojyo groaned as he sat up and was shocked to see Ran sitting next to him with worry all over her face. "You idiot…don't go getting yourself hurt like that. You're supposed to be really good at knowing when danger's behind you," she exclaimed giving him a hug too.

Gojyo's eyes widened and he wasn't sure what he should do. Thankfully he had his instincts working for him and he wrapped an arm around her. "Sorry, I guess I got distracted by a pretty face."

"You won't get away with this!" The demon woman shouted. "You will all—"

BANG! She sputtered as shock and pain took over her features. "Shut the hell up," an awakened Sanzo said holding his smoking pistol.

The demon woman gave out one last cry of anger before she disintegrated along with her disgusting worms. "Now that was interesting," Ran said scratching her head after letting Gojyo go. "So….who's hungry?"

"I am…what's for dinner?" Goku shouted jumping onto Ran's back.

"How about some good old fashioned home cooking?" Karin suggested. "I could probably whip us up something nice."

"Would you like some help?" Hakkai offered, smiling at her for the first time in days. Karin nodded, happy that he was looking at her again.

"Alright," Goku shouted rushing to the nearest table and sitting down expectantly.

"Hey Karin is there any meat in there?" Ran asked as Karin and Hakkai headed for the kitchen.

"Nope…looks like they're all out."

"Okay…I'll go see what I can't russle up in the forest," Ran replied heading for the front door.

"Hey can I come with?" Goku asked.

"Not this time, monkey boy," Gojyo said already at Ran's side. "It's my turn."

Ran rolled her eyes but quickly turned to hide her grin. "Whatever. Come on, let's go." And the two headed out.

As Hakkai and Karin began preparing what they did have, the two didn't talk for a while. "Are you still angry?" Hakkai suddenly asked her. Karin looked at him.

"I was never angry… well, okay maybe that's a lie," Karin amended. "But Ran and I realized that if you guys don't think we should know, then we won't press you as long as you guys just continue to be yourselves."

"I'm very sorry about the way I've been acting," Hakkai said after a short pause. "I didn't want to hurt you. I was trying to protect you…though I guess I was doing a disservice instead."

"Hakkai, I don't want you protecting me if you end up getting hurt because of it," Karin said seriously. Hakkai suddenly remember when she had conveyed to him how the last person she had been close to had died and he wondered if he had inadvertently reopened old wounds. "I don't like seeing you hurt," Karin added with a smile as she touched his arm lightly. "I like seeing you smile."

"Do you really want to know what happened?" Hakkai asked after careful consideration.

"Only if you feel you can tell me," Karin replied as she focused on the food.

"Just don't fly off the handle. Homura removed your limiters during that last encounter and you turned into a demon and attacked us," he explained as delicately as he could.

Karin stared at him letting the news sink in. "Was anyone hurt?"

Just the type of question he would expect from her. "No, Homura stopped you before it got too extreme."

"So I was… a bad demon?"

"I'm not sure if 'bad' would be an accurate word for it. You just weren't yourself," Hakkai told her.

"But… why can't I remember any of it?"

"I'm not sure but I'm going to do what I can to try and keep it from happening again," Hakkai promised.

"Well it's not your fault…you know…what happened," Karin told him placing a hand on his arm. "What happened is not your fault."

"I have to disagree with you," Hakkai said with a sad smile. "It's my blood that's caused this to happen."

"It's not your fault," Karin repeated her hand moving from his arm to his shoulder.

"If I could have protected you better…" Hakkai said, his voice nearly breaking.

Karin's hands grasped either side of his face. "It's not your fault." She whispered.

"Alright…you win," Hakkai conceded with a smile, putting his own hand on hers. "Now let's get that dinner made or Goku's going to throw a fit."

* * *

In the meantime Ran and Gojyo were walking through the forest trying to find some game. "See anything yet?" Ran asked.

"Nope," Gojyo said not having spotted anything of particular interest yet.

"Well, if you see anything then—whoa!" her foot got caught on a rock and she stumbled but Gojyo caught her.

"Nice job twinkle toes."

"Oh shut it," Ran muttered. Then she grudgingly added, "…And thanks."

"Don't mention it," He said lighting up a smoke. "So… you still wanna know what's been up the past few days?"

"Well it has been bugging me," Ran said once she got her footing again.

"Alright then…I'll tell you. You got shot by Zenon and then you kind of went on a power trip. You were beating the crap out of him while you had that wound and then after he left you kind of turned on me," Gojyo explained.

"I see…is that why you didn't tell me before?" Ran asked looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't sure how you'd take it," Gojyo said scratching the back of his head.

"Well… I didn't hurt anybody, did I?" Ran asked warily.

"Nope, I managed to snap you out of it before you did any serious damage."

"Really? How?"

"Trademark secret, honey," Gojyo said winking.

Ran's face crinkled into a frown. "Wait a minute… wasn't that when you said something about…"

"Hey look over there," Gojyo suddenly said. "I think I see something." And he took off.

"Gojyo!" Ran called after him.

"Hurry up slow poke!"

"Hey Gojyo one more thing," Ran said grabbing onto his arm. "I'm sure they knew about it before hand…is there anything I can do to make sure it doesn't happen again?"

"Just keep close and don't go making yourself really angry," Gojyo said rubbing her head.

"Deal," Ran said. "Well looks like there's a buck…let's get dinner and get back before the others get worried."

* * *

CM: Next time on Saiyuki...

**Goku:** "Who's this guy?"

**Sanzo:** "Who cares, so long as I can get a decent nights sleep."

**Gojyo:** "Wait, what's his relationship with her?"

**Hakkai:** "Well this certainly is a strange turn of events."

**Goku:** "Does he really hate her that much?"

CM: Who's this strange person? Stay tuned, and please review. ^_^


	11. Bad Blood

**Bad Blood- A Startling Similarity**

"Another beautiful day," Karin said allowing the warm morning breeze hit her.

"It certainly is, "Hakkai agreed from beside her.

"ACHOO!" Sanzo sneezed and wiped his noise. "Why aren't you riding that mangy fur ball?"

"Chihiro's not feeling very well today, so she's taking a break," Karin told him.

It was a week after their little entanglement with their worst fears and everything was back to normal. "Ah…so when's the next town Hakkai? My back is aching," Ran said sitting up and rubbing her back.

"I believe we should be there in another hour or so," Hakkai answered smiling.

"Okay. I think I can last that long."

"I can't…my stomach's going to shrivel up into nothing," Goku complained.

"Now if only the same thing would happen with your mouth," Gojyo said whimsically.

"What was that? Like you're one to talk," Goku shot at him.

"Can you guys just shut up for an hour please?" Ran asked already feeling a head ache coming on. "Then you can fight all you want."

"I wouldn't tell them that, or they might take you up on that offer," Hakkai warned her good-naturedly.

"Better back at town where I can leave if needed than stuck in the car," Ran replied holding her head.

"Well since you're stuck back here…maybe I can provide a little distraction," Gojyo said placing his hands on her shoulders and starting to rub them.

"Move your hands now or I'll remove them for you," Ran muttered, though secretly she had been enjoying it.

"Hey Karin, how are your shoulder's feeling?" Hakkai asked her casually.

"A little stiff," Karin admitted.

"How about when we get into town I ease some of that tension?"

"That sounds delightful."

"Are you trying to start something, Hakkai?" Gojyo asked him in annoyance.

"I might be," Hakkai replied provokingly.

"Shut up all of you…sneeze….I'm having enough…sneeze…problems with that cat…sneeze," Sanzo said angrily pointing his gun at them all.

Everyone quieted down after that. Once they reached the next town all of them were grateful to get out of the car, especially Sanzo.

Ran leaped out of the jeep and headed into the inn first hoping for some water and maybe some headache medicine. "Welcome. I'll be with you in a moment," a young male voice called from the room to the right.

"Wow, this is a very nice inn," Hakkai said coming in behind her.

"I'll bet I can get all sorts of good food here," Goku exclaimed looking around.

"Alright so what can I…" a young man walked into the room and stopped when he saw who was in there.

He had light brown hair and bright green eyes that had gone from happy and helpful to searching and hateful in seconds. "Umi nii-san," Karin exclaimed happily.

Ran stared at him a small smile spreading across her face. "Umi…it's good to see you again," she said stepping forward wearily.

"Get out," he said shortly.

"You're not still…" Ran started trying to speak to him.

"I said get out…now," he repeated anger flaring in his voice.

"Hey, buddy, where do you get off--" Gojyo began but Ran stopped him.

"Gojyo, its fine. I'll leave." She turned to look at him. "They can stay can't they?"

"Depends, are they friends of yours?" He asked.

"They gave me a ride here, that's all," Ran replied before backing out the door. "Later."

She vanished through the door and into the streets…and Gojyo could have sworn he spotted some tears in her eyes. "So about our rooms," Sanzo said bringing attention back to them.

"Sanzo," Goku exclaimed surprised.

"She chose what she wanted already. I am not sleeping outside."

"Make yourselves at home," Umi told them.

"Ran, wait up!" Karin called after her friend.

"Go back, Karin, he didn't tell YOU to get out."

"He might as well have. And what about you? Where were you planning to go?"

"I'd probably find a roof top or something…I might just camp out like we always do on the road," Ran replied.

"But what if you get attacked or something?" Karin asked worried.

"Karin…I've been fighting demons as long as you have. I think I can take care of myself," Ran replied shaking her head.

"But what if…" Karin started.

"Karin, I know you're worried…but I just want to be alone for awhile. You really should go back to the inn…I'm sure the others are waiting for you."

Karin looked at her reproachfully but decided not to argue about it anymore. "If that's what you want," she said before heading back, though reluctantly.

"So you came back after all," Hakkai said looking somewhat surprised but pleased all the same.

"Unfortunately there are only four rooms left that are available and I'm not sharing mine," Sanzo said putting his foot down.

"That's okay…Goku can stay in Gojyo's room," Hakkai said making the decision right there.

"Oh heck no…the monkey is not staying in my room," Gojyo stated matter of factly. "I don't want him in there…it'll make it difficult to pick up chicks."

"So you would rather have another female sleep out in the cold?" Hakkai asked with surprise. "And here I thought you were a ladies man, Gojyo."

"I don't mind," Karin spoke up, not that anyone heard of course.

"Well…she could always stay with me if you're worried," Gojyo said smiling.

"How do you expect her to get any sleep if she's sleeping with you?" Hakkai asked his smile disappearing slightly.

"I don't," Gojyo replied smirking.

"You're lucky Ran isn't around to hear you say that…she'd probably plow her hammer through your skull," Hakkai reminded him.

"Guys, really I don't mind sleeping outside," Karin spoke out again…but still no one was listening.

"I guess it would be bad if she stayed with me anyway…after all I'm sure you'd prefer her to stay with you," Gojyo shot back. Karin's face turned as red as Ran's hair and Hakkai smile was slowly turning rather baleful.

BANG! "Now I don't care for your little lovers quarrel, so choose a room already monkey," Sanzo commanded pointing his gun at them all.

"I want to stay with you Sanzo," Goku answered immediately.

"No."

"But you said I could pick a room."

"Any room but mine."

"Fine then, I'll stay with Hakkai…he at least let's me eat."

"Fine. If any of you have any further objections, keep them to yourselves," Sanzo said before heading up to his room.

"Hey Karin, any idea where Ran headed off to?" Gojyo inquired.

"Probably to look for a nice rooftop, but I don't think now is a great time," Karin warned.

"Why not?" Gojyo asked surprised.

"She says she wants to be alone…when she gets like that its best not to bother her," Karin explained.

"Does it have to do with that jerk downstairs?" Gojyo asked angrily.

"That jerk happens to be her big brother," Karin explained once more.

"You're kidding…that guy's her brother?" Gojyo asked flabbergasted.

"I didn't even know Ran had a brother," Goku exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Why is it he told her to leave if she is his younger sister?" Hakkai asked confused.

"I'm not even clear on all of the details," Karin admitted. "All I know is that he left shortly after her sister died."

"I wonder what reason he'd have to hate her," Goku wondered aloud.

"I honestly don't think he hates her. It's hard to hate someone who shares your blood. It's that whole kinship concept. But if you really want to know, you'd have to ask her directly," Karin said.

"Thanks for the advice," Gojyo said heading downstairs.

"Is there something I can get for you?" Umi asked as Gojyo passed by on his way out.

"No, I think you've done enough," Gojyo replied coldly before heading out the door.

* * *

Karin sat beside the window with her arms resting on the window sill, looking out at the stars. She still could hardly believe that they ran into Umi nii-san like this. It made her wonder if her own brothers were still alive or not. And maybe even…

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, pulling her out of her thoughts. "It's unlocked," she called.

She heard the door open and heard Hakkai tell her, "I brought you some left over dinner. I wasn't sure if you were hungry or not but I figured you should at least eat something."

"Sorry, I guess I lost track of time," Karin apologized.

Hakkai stepped in and set the food on the bedside table. "Something on your mind?" he asked sitting down next to her.

"I'm just really worried about Ran," Karin replied.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a tough one and right now Gojyo's probably trying to help out but only making it worse," Hakkai told her with a smile.

Karin laughed. "I dunno, I think that he should be able to do something."

"Gojyo can be an insightful person if he feels inclined to be," Hakkai agreed. Then he asked in light curiosity, "Do you by any chance have any siblings of your own?"

Karin looked at him. "Well… I did. I'm not sure where they are now, but I have three older brothers."

"What happened to them?"

"They all left, one by one, until it was me and mom."

"Did they leave on bad notes?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"Not particularly…they just wanted to get out and get away. I guess they figured I'd be fine on my own," Karin explained looking at a time only she could see.

"I see. Well that's a good thing," Hakkai said watching her.

"What about you, Hakkai? Did you have any siblings?"

"I was raised in an orphanage, so I can't really say. I did manage to find one of my siblings… but she's gone now."

"Oh… I'm sorry," Karin said apologetically.

He shook his head. "It's alright." Then on a lighter note, he asked her, "So, are your shoulders still sore?"

"A little," Karin replied not catching on to the implication of his question.

"Would you still like a massage?" he asked softly.

"I thought you were joking about that," Karin replied surprised.

"Only half way," Hakkai admitted. "I am a man of my word after all." He moved forward a little and placed his hands on her shoulders and started rubbing them. "Is this alright…or should I stop?"

Karin had tensed at first with introversion, but as his fingers gently kneaded into her tense muscles she immediately relaxed. "No… it's fine. That feels… really nice," Karin whispered as her eyes closed.

Hakkai chuckled a little bit and continued to rub her shoulders kneading all the knots out of them. "I'm glad. Just tell me when you want me to stop."

Karin laughed softly, "If that's the case then you'll be at it for some time."

Hakkai let out another light chuckle. "That's just fine with me."

* * *

"There you are…I've been looking all over for you," Gojyo said climbing onto the last building in town.

"Gojyo…what do you want?" Ran retorted staring at the star filled sky.

"Come on, would I really be a gentleman if I just let a pretty girl sit out here by herself?"

"Oh, you're supposed to be a gentleman?" Ran asked in false surprise.

"Well, you're supposed to be a lady so I guess we're even," Gojyo said sitting down nearby.

"Toushe," Ran said with a laugh. "Alright then I guess I won't hit you if you join me."

Gojyo smiled and climbed up the rest of the way before moving to lie down close to her. "So that guy in there was that brother of yours, huh? Awesome that you actually found him way out here," Gojyo said making light conversation.

"Yeah I was a little surprised at first. It makes me happy to see that he's doing well for himself though. That inn looked huge," Ran said smiling. "I'm happy for him…and his new family."

"Still, it really bugs me that he'd treat his own sister that way," Gojyo stated his thoughts.

"Half-sister actually," Ran revealed.

"That shouldn't matter. Kougaiji may be a prick but even he has a sense of brotherly affection."

"So does your brother," Ran noted glancing over at him.

"Okay…so why's he so angry with you?" Gojyo asked brushing off her comment.

"Well…he didn't leave with the best of terms," Ran said trying to avoid the topic.

"So what happened between you?"

"It's nothing…we're having a family issue and we'll sort it out…though it'll probably take some time."

"Just don't let it fester too long," Gojyo warned her. "Sometimes even time isn't enough to help matters like these."

"I know…but just walking in there and trying to talk to him isn't the best idea. I…need to talk to him alone so he won't have a reason to tell me to leave," Ran said closing her eyes and trying to picture how she was going to do this.

"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something," Gojyo said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just remember I'll be behind you all the way."

"Thanks…it's nice to know someone's got my back," Ran replied smiling.

"Of course…after all, my brother left without a word," Gojyo told her understandingly.

"He did? I thought you two just had a falling out," Ran said turning slightly to get a better look at his face.

"Nah…. He left after he killed our mom." Ran's eyes widened but she said nothing, merely waited for him to continue. She wasn't disappointed. "My mother was particularly upset that day, and she tried to kill me. My brother killed her in order to stop her. He didn't stay long after that."

"He left you alone?" Ran asked saddened.

"Yeah…but I kind of needed it. After he was gone I was finally able to start living," Gojyo chuckled.

"How long did it take for you to get over your mother's death and your brother leaving?" Ran asked hoping for some sort of advice.

"Well…" Gojyo thought for a while. Then said, "I guess you could say I'm still working on it."

"I guess those wounds never go away do they?" Ran asked staring up at the sky again. "I was afraid of that."

"They might not ever fully disappear but at least they do get better," Gojyo reassured her.

"That's good. I was wondering if I'd ever be able to get over what he told me," Ran muttered before freezing and turning her back on him.

Gojyo saw her self induced reaction and lay back down. "Look, if you don't want to tell me anything, then I'm not about to force it out of you. We each have our own skeleton in the cupboard. Don't fool yourself into thinking you have some sort of obligation to tell people."

"Then why did you tell me about your mother and brother if not to find out about mine?" Ran asked slowly turning onto her back.

"You looked so depressed so I figured that if you realized that you aren't the only one who has problems like this you might be able to get over it easier," Gojyo replied glancing over at her.

"It did give me a few ideas," Ran admitted. "You really didn't have to tell me about your past though…not that I'm not grateful but…"

"I don't mind," Gojyo said with a mild shrug. "Just don't dwell too much on it. As long as you try then that's worth something. And if he still doesn't come around, then he doesn't deserve to have you as a little sister," he told her reaching up and ruffling her hair a bit.

Ran pushed his hand off her head but smiled all the same. "Thanks Gojyo…I needed that. Say does voicing something that's been sitting on your shoulders make the incident worse or does it relieve the stress?"

"I guess that all depends on what's being held inside. There are some things that shouldn't be bottled up but at the same time you shouldn't just go spouting whatever is bothering you because it might make those around you feel like you're dragging them down. At least that's what I've been told," Gojyo said after a few minutes pause.

Ran sat there for several moments staring up at the stars in silence. Then she made her decision. "Before he left… my brother said some things to me. Things I could never forget no matter how hard I tried. I guess one of the reasons why I never told anyone was because it was something I never could figure out myself." Gojyo said nothing but glanced over at her, letting her know that he was listening. "One of the things was… he called me a child of taboo."

"What…but weren't both your parents human?" Gojyo asked blown away.

"That's what I thought…until he said that. I tried to ask dad about it but he wouldn't tell me anything," Ran explained. "I know neither of my parents were demons though which is what really confused me." She took a deep breath feeling the tears trying to burst forth but she forced them to stay in place as she continued recklessly forward. "He accused me of being the reason for all our problems. Said it was my fault mom left, said that I caused my sister's death, he even said that if I hadn't been born then we wouldn't have moved to that backwater town and dad would have been happier," she explained and the tears started coming by the end of it.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm wrap around her and pull her against a solid chest. Her nose was suddenly filled with the scent of smoke and aftershave. "I know it's not very clean but… there's my shoulder."

Ran didn't know whether to pull back or to just let it go but her tears kept coming and here was someone warm. Instinctively she wrapped her own arms around him and started bawling the tears flowing freely as the realization of how much her brother must hate her finally hit home.

"I would never have the heart to tell you this, Ran," Gojyo thought to himself as he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back in a comforting manner. "But your brother is a bastard for making you cry like this."

* * *

CM: Next time on Saiyuki.....

Goku: What? Demons again?

Hakkai: My, this is troublesome.

Ran: I won't let you touch my family!

CM: Stay tuned for the next instillation of Fire and Blood!


	12. Brotherly Love

**Brotherly Love-Ties Reformed**

As the sun rose the next morning Ran awoke without opening her eyes. As her consciousness returned she felt extremely warm and the scent of smoke and aftershave tickled her nose.

Then she opened her eyes and saw to her amazement that the warmth was coming from a body…Gojyo's body whose arms were stilled wrapped around her comfortingly. As soon as that realization hit her she pushed against him and wriggled out of his clutch feeling embarrassed and confused at the same time.

"Good morning to you too," Gojyo said with a laugh as he stood up and stretched.

"You… you stayed the whole night?"

"Nah, I left after you fell asleep and came back right before just so that you wouldn't be robbed of the opportunity to wake up and see this lying next to you," Gojyo replied obviously joking.

"You idiot…what did you do that for?" Ran asked obviously flustered.

"Well I wasn't about to leave a pretty woman crying alone," Gojyo remarked amused by her reaction.

"I wasn't crying when I past out," Ran said trying to find something to make him feel bad.

"True…but it would have been rude to just up and leave without saying goodbye," Gojyo replied scratching his head. "For all I know you could have been attacked in your sleep…especially when you were that vulnerable."

"You…I would have woken up if any threat came around," Ran shot back angrily.

"Why are you so upset?" Gojyo asked her, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything indecent if that's what you're worried about."

"I can tell you didn't…it's just….well…forget it," Ran stuttered turning and jumping off the roof.

"Wow…she really is confusing," Gojyo said shaking his head. "Oh well…at least I wasn't stuck in the same room with that monkey." He climbed down from the roof and headed back to the inn unsure of where Ran went and curious to see how her brother really acts.

When Gojyo arrived at the inn he found his comrades around the breakfast table with Goku chowing down. "We were wondering when you were planning on coming back," Hakkai remarked while feeding Hakuryuu who was sitting on his shoulder.

"You were a good boy while you were out, right?" Karin asked, stroking Chihiro who was resting on her lap.

"Depends on what you call a good boy," Gojyo replied smiling.

"I'm afraid that would be asking too much of him," Hakkai chuckled.

"Hey I don't do things to them that they themselves do not want," Gojyo declared.

"Who's 'them' and what 'things'?" Karin asked confused.

"I'm talking about the women I get with…of course," Gojyo answered sitting down at the table. "As for the things…."

"It's best if you don't ask," Hakkai cut in.

"None of us want to here about what you do in your spare time," Sanzo muttered from across the table.

"Just because you're sexually frustrated…" Gojyo began.

Suddenly Goku began choking. "Goku? Are you okay?" Karin asked concerned.

He urgently pointed to his neck and there was a visible lump in his throat "Looks like the monkey finally bit off more than he could chew," Gojyo said in amusement.

"He's turning blue," Karin exclaimed, starting to panic, though it looked like she was the only one.

"I got this," Gojyo said standing up and walking to the choking monkey. He got behind Goku, wrapped his arms around his stomach and lifted him off his feet pressing him repeatedly against his own body in order to get the stuck food out.

The piece of food popped out and Goku took a deep breath. "Wow thanks Gojyo," he gasped.

At that moment a young woman walked into the room and saw Gojyo still holding Goku in the Heimlich maneuver position. "Oh I'm sorry…I'll…just come back….later," she stuttered looking at the two before turning around and walking back toward the kitchen.

"Tell me guys…" Gojyo started only just realizing what it must look like.

"If you're wondering if it looks bad, then yes, it does." Sazo told him with blunt honesty.

"How bad?"

"Pretty bad I would say," Hakkai informed.

"Oh great…she probably thinks I'm gay now," Gojyo muttered after he let Goku go staring off toward where she disappeared.

"I wouldn't go after her Gojyo…she's taken already," Hakkai said taking a drink.

"Really? By who?"

"The owner of this inn of course."

"You mean that woman is that blow hard's girlfriend?" Gojyo asked in disbelief.

"Wife actually, and they have a daughter too," Hakkai said smiling.

"You would already know this if you had been here," Sanzo told him. At that moment a cute little girl came into the room with a plate of eggrolls and sugar buns.

"Mommy told me to give this to you," the little girl said holding the tray out for them.

"Wow thanks," Goku said grabbing for it.

"Hey monkey be a little nicer would ya," Gojyo said stopping Goku before he plowed the girl over. "Thanks for the food kid," he said turning to the little girl.

The little girl gave a shy giggle before giving him the plate and running out of the room. "Cute kid," Gojyo commented before he began eating from the plate.

"Hey! I want some too," Goku complained.

"Stupid monkey's who jump little girls for food don't get to eat," Gojyo said taking another bite.

"That's stupid…give me some," Goku shouted grabbing for the plate and getting into a fight with Gojyo.

"Shut up," Sanzo said firing off his gun in between the two.

Suddenly there was a scream from the back and the party immediately leapt up. "Please," the woman pleaded to a group of demons who had snuck in. "Let my girl go. She's only a child!"

"No way," Gojyo muttered running into the room.

The others followed and when they entered the room they saw Umi's wife pleading for a demon to let her daughter go. "Heh…what do you know…the Sanzo party is here as well. Now hand over the Maten scripture or I'll kill this kid right now," the lead demon declared holding his blade next to her throat.

"Taking a little girl as a hostage, that's about as low as you can get," Gojyo muttered darkly.

"You got five seconds or this brat dies," the demon said. "Five… four… three… two… o--"

BAM! A small hammer flew out of no where and hit the demon in the back of the head forcing him to release the girl. BANG! Sanzo shot the demon square in the forehead and he evaporated. The girl ran to her mother in tears and the woman hugged her daughter tightly.

"Never, threaten my family," Ran said from the window. "Are you alright in there?"

"Yes thank you," the mother said through her tears. Ran smiled at her and the little girl.

Then Umi ran into the kitchen and hugged his wife and child. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?" he asked frightened.

"No these people saved us," the mother answered giving Umi a kiss.

"DEMONS…THERE ARE DEMONS AT THE EDGE OF THE CITY," a cry went out and more people started screaming.

"You…" Umi growled glaring at Ran. "Look what you've done. First you curse our family and now you bring trouble to this village? I told you before to stay away from my family and stay out of my life."

Gojyo had enough. He grabbed Umi by the scruff of the neck and slammed him against the wall. "Look you, I've had just about enough of your crap."

"Gojyo stop it," Ran said jumping into the room. "We don't have time for this. There are demons attacking this village right now and we need to stop them before they can hurt anyone."

Gojyo looked at her determined face and let Umi go. "You're lucky your sister still cares about you…you jerk," Gojyo said stepping through the door.

"Let's go," Sanzo commanded heading for the front door.

"Yeah we have to stop those demons," Goku shouted running for the street.

"You coming Karin?" Hakkai asked.

"You bet," Karin nodded before following him.

The demons had made there way into the town and were now attacking the people. Though, upon seeing the Sanzo party, they made their way towards the inn where they stood. "There seems to be quite a large number," Hakkai noted as he watched the demons drawing nearer.

"I don't care how many there are, I won't let them destroy what my brother has been working for all these years," Ran declared.

"Die Sanzo party," the demons shouted running at the group.

"I won't let a single one pass by," Ran said brandishing her war hammer. "They'll have to get through me first."

The battle began and each member started taking out a large group each; Ran stayed in front of the inn refusing to allow any of the demons to enter. There were so many demons that after several minutes of fighting Ran heard another scream from inside the inn. "Not again. You guys had better leave them alone," Ran said leveling the group of demons next to her and rushing into the inn to save her brother.

She saw her brother and his family backed up against the wall by a group of demons. Umi was shielding both his wife and child. "This is what you get for harboring the Sanzo party. Now die!" The demon leapt at the three of them but was knocked back when Ran stepped in the way.

"You'll have to get through me first," Ran growled.

"What's a human going to do to the likes of us?" one of the demons asked smirking.

"Apparently you weren't paying attention outside," Ran said her face twisted in a glare.

"Oh well…we'll kill you and then take that woman there…she is quite the looker." Ran's hands tightened around her hammer and she slammed it into the nearest demon throwing him out the window. The others were angered from her attack and started attacking together. "You're dead!!"

Ran beat them back again and again and as more came in she realized the danger in them staying there. "Umi…take your family and run. I'll take care of these losers just get out of here."

"Why are you doing this?" He asked in disbelief.

"Cause you're my brother, blockhead! Now get out of here already!" Ran shouted as she continued to fight them. Umi did as he was instructed and began leading his family out the back way.

But once they were out the door they were surrounded by another hoard of demons. "Now prepare to--" One of the demons began but he was cut off as a chain scythe, two halves of a chakram, and a wave of chi plowed through them, completely wiping them out.

"Sorry about not letting you finish your riveting 'I'm going to kill you' speech," Gojyo said smirking.

"But we've heard it too many times before," Hakkai finished.

"Love and Peace!" Karin said with a victory sign.

"Say where's Ran?" Gojyo asked looking at Umi.

"She's still in there," Umi told them without meeting their gaze.

Gojyo rushed into the room and saw Ran still fighting off twenty demons on her own, she had blood on her clothes and several cuts all over. Just as he entered Ran was struck in the gut and sent flying against the wall. "Now you die," one of the demons shouted driving his spear at her.

"I don't think so," Gojyo said killing the demon in one swipe. The others fell in no time and Gojyo went to Ran's side.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"I think so," Ran said wincing a little. "How's Umi?"

"He and his family are fine. You on the other hand looked like a torn up rag doll."

"Geez, thanks," Ran said rolling her eyes.

"That's what you get for trying to play the hero," Gojyo muttered, then smiled. "But I guess I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Slinging her arm over his shoulder, he helped her stand up. "Come on, let's get you to Hakkai so he can patch you up."

"Yeah, was that all of them?" Ran asked as Gojyo helped her out of the room.

"Yep…they're all gone. Now we just need to make sure you don't bite the bucket," Gojyo said with a laugh.

"Oh haha…just shut up will you," Ran muttered. They marched through the door and Ran grinned at everybody.

"Ran, you okay?" Goku asked running up and giving her a hug.

"Ouch Goku that hurts," Ran muttered. "I'm alright though."

"Good…cause you look like you got in a fight with a bear and lost."

"Thanks that makes me feel so much better."

"Goodness Ran, why do you always have to throw yourself into the tiger pit?" Karin asked her with a laugh.

"Like you're one to talk," Ran muttered.

"Actually, I think Karin prefers throwing herself into the Lion's Den."

"Is there a difference?" Gojyo asked.

"Well you see…"

"Just shut up already," Sanzo muttered pulling out his gun.

"Right…so Hakkai mind giving her the mend?" Gojyo asked still holding Ran up.

"Of course," Hakkai replied smiling. "Just sit her down and I'll get to work." Ran sat in one of the chairs with Gojyo's help and Hakkai started his examination to make sure she didn't have anything huge to worry about.

"Why did you do that? You're the one that caused this to happen so why fight against it?" Umi asked confused.

"I told you before, you're my brother. You're probably right about this attack being my fault, but that's what happens when traveling with the Sanzo party. It doesn't change the fact that I don't want to see family's get torn apart by them…the way ours did," Ran answered flinching slightly as Hakkai touched a sore spot.

Umi's wife stepped forward. "I want to thank you all for saving us. Especially you, Ran. You truly are your brother's sister."

The little girl stepped forward and hugged Ran's leg. "Does that mean you're my auntie?" she asked.

Ran looked down at the girl and then looked back at Umi who after a few seconds nodded…smiling. "Yes…I am your aunt," Ran replied rubbing the little girls head.

"Yay…you were really cool in there. Thanks for helping us," she said hugging Ran's leg again.

Karin nudged Umi in the side. "Well don't just stand there," she said with an encouraging smile. "Don't you want to say something?"

Umi looked at her with a frown but cleared his throat and closed his eyes for a second. "Thank you Ran…you saved my family," he finally said as a smile spread across his face. "I'm sorry…about what I said before."

"Don't worry about it…you were probably right after all. You had every right to be mad…I probably could have prevented most of it…but I didn't," Ran mumbled with a smile. "I think we're even now."

"I can see the years haven't changed all that much," He said placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Yay, isn't reconciliation a beautiful thing?" Karin said clapping her hands together.

"That goes double for you," Umi added at Karin's comment.

"Oy Umi…tell me something. Do you still go poking around in everything that you don't know about?" Ran asked with a chuckle.

"I'm not answering that one," Umi replied rubbing Ran's head. "That will remain a secret."

"Umi knock it off," Ran complained forcing his hand off her head.

"If you don't stop moving I won't be able to help much," Hakkai said reminding her that he was still trying to fix her.

"Sorry," Ran murmured grinning with embarrassment.

Once Ran was healed up, Sanzo decreed that it was time for them to go. As they were loading into the jeep, Umi's wife asked, "Are you sure you don't want to stay another night?"

"We appreciate the offer, but we really must be going," Hakkai said with a smile.

"Don't worry! We'll be sure to visit on our way back," Karin promised. Ran was in the process of climbing onto Chihiro to join Karin, but she had to pause when her side began to ache again.

"Here," Gojyo said hefting Ran up onto Chihiro.

"Gojyo…I didn't need your help with that," Ran complained.

"Yeah I know you don't need my help with anything…just like you didn't need it with those demons," Gojyo chuckled.

"You know…those two really do make a cute couple don't they?" Umi's wife said happily. "You may end up with a brother after all."

"Hey long hair…make sure you take good care of her," Umi called out.

"You don't need to tell me that," Gojyo called back.

"Oh please," Ran rolled her eyes.

"Are we all ready then?" Hakkai asked everyone.

"Let's get rolling," Gojyo said hopping in the back with Goku.

"See ya Umi," Ran called out as Chihiro ran down the street.

"See ya…imoto-chan," Umi thought to himself waving farewell.

As the group left the town an ominous figure loomed in the shadows watching them. "Looks like that's them after all. They shouldn't be too much of a problem…as long as we catch them off guard at least," he muttered with an evil grin. Then he vanished.


	13. Surprise Visit

Surprise Visit- A push in the right direction

They drove all afternoon until nighttime set in. "Hakkai, do you want me to drive for a while?" Karin offered after everyone else had fallen asleep, even Chihiro.

"I don't think that will be necessary. The next town shouldn't be more than a few hours away," He told her amiably.

"But you always stay up late driving," Karin insisted. "I think you deserve a break."

"No I'm fine…just having you awake to talk to makes it so much better," Hakkai said smiling.

"It's my pleasure," Karin replied resting her head on his shoulder.

Suddenly Hakkai wrapped an arm around Karin holding her tightly and slammed on the breaks. Hakuryuu slid to a halt as everyone jerked forward and Ran flew off the back. "Ouch…you mind giving us some warning before doing that," Ran grumbled sitting up from the ground sporting a few bruises.

"Seriously Hakkai, you could have killed us," Gojyo agreed.

"My apologies," Hakkai told them, not releasing his hold on Karin despite how red she had become. "But we have company."

Standing before them was a man with a chakra mark on his forehead and dark intent seemed to radiate from him as the sun radiated light. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sanzo party."

"You're no demon," Sanzo said darkly. "Are you a god?"

"I am no god, merely a heavenly warrior on business."

"And what business would you have with us?" Sanzo demanded impatiently.

"Nothing… however, I do have business with the two women you have traveling with you."

"What is that might I ask?" Hakkai asked dangerously.

"Our business is with them and have no need to divulge our reasons to you," one of the men stated.

"Okay then if you aren't going to tell them then explain it to me. What do you bozos want?" Ran demanded brushing herself off from the ground.

"We're simply here to correct two very big mistakes," the third one said pulling out a katana.

"Ran, look out!" Goku yelled and he leapt forward but was blocked by the second who pulled out a curved blade.

"Karin, stay behind me," Hakkai told her.

"But Ran…" Karin began.

"It'll take more than one bozo to take me out," Ran declared pulling out her hammer. "I don't know what you mean by mistakes, but you won't get to me so easily." The two clashed and Ran immediately felt that this guy was about as strong as Zenon. "This isn't good…what if I lose it again?" she thought frightened.

"You won't be able to protect her," the first one told Hakkai pulling out a blade of his own.

"We'll just see about that," Hakkai replied as he gathered up his chi and shot at the man.

The man easily dodged and ran forward throwing down his blade right between Hakkai and Karin. Karin leaped back to avoid the blade only to find another one heading straight for her. She jumped back several times to find herself face to face with the third man.

"I've always wanted to dance with an angel," he said licking the tip of his short blade.

Karin summoned her own weapons not about to back down after these men had threatened her and her friend. "Then by all means, come."

Ran and Karin fought their hardest against the two men while the first one kept the Sanzo party from interfering. "Who are these guys and how can they keep us back so easily?" Goku shouted in confusion.

"We can't feel their presences just like with those gods…what's going on?" Hakkai wondered to himself glaring at the men and trying to find an opening.

"These guys are good…I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this guy at bay," Ran thought to herself. "This is just great…if I go berserk now who knows what could happen…same with Karin. We have to end this…and fast."

"This isn't good," Karin thought. "I'm already getting worn out, and this guy doesn't even look fazed. And then there are the other two." She looked down at her limiters and her other hand steadily moved towards them. "Maybe if I could just…"

"Karin, don't!" Karin stopped and glanced over at the one who had halted her, Hakkai.

"You don't have to go that far," Hakkai said looking at her seriously. "We'll find a way to stop this."

"Karin, don't get distracted. Keep an eye on that guy," Ran shouted alerting her to the attack that was heading her way. Karin looked back just in time to see the attack coming and block it…she was shoved backwards, however, and lost her weapons in the process.

"Karin!!" Hakkai tried his best to get past the guard but kept getting pushed back.

Sanzo got fed up with it and fired at him only to have the bullet deflected. "Just like Homura," he muttered angrily.

"Dangit," Ran said moving to help Karin only to suffer a major assault.

"You should learn to take your own advice, girly," the man said striking her on her right hand.

She gave a cry of pain, dropping her hammer as blood poured from her hand. "Dangit," she hissed.

"Now, it's time for you two inferior beings to meet your end," the man fighting Karin said as he swung down his weapon. Karin rose up a barrier in front of her, but it was shaken by the impact of the man's blow and nearly shattered under the strain.

"Karin, move it," Ran shouted grabbing her hammer again despite her bleeding hand.

"Neither one of you will escape. We've been searching for the two of you for a long time…I guess it was impossible to find you until you turned 19. Once that occurred your abilities shined out like beacons," the one fighting Ran said. He stunned Ran long enough to where he easily landed a blow to her gut, sending her flying.

"Dammit let us through!" Goku shouted at the man.

"Not a chance," the leader said. "But don't worry, we'll leave you alone once our business is taken care of."

"What makes you think we'll let you just walk away?" Gojyo demanded, as he attacked.

"You don't get it do you?" the leader said annoyed. "Demons and humans can have no effect on the Erasers."

"Erasers huh…maybe you guys can introduce us to the Pencils?" Gojyo suggested.

"This really isn't the time for jokes Gojyo…and you know they really can't help what they're called no matter how lame it is," Hakkai said trying to get the leader off guard. In the meantime Karin was barely holding her guard off and Ran was having trouble standing again. Then suddenly Karin's barrier shattered leaving her wide open.

"Now perish!" Both Karin's and Ran's attackers raised their weapons for a final strike.

"Karin!" Hakkai shouted.

"Dammit!" Gojyo swore.

Suddenly there was a flash of movement and Karin's attacker fell forward with a slash in his back. Karin rolled over just as he fell to the ground. This distracted Ran's attacker and suddenly he too was on the ground dead.

"What…in the world…was that?" Ran gasped as she stood up with some difficulty.

"Who's out there?" the leader shouted angrily.

"It doesn't matter…cause you're in my way," Gojyo said wrapping his chain around the guy and holding him still.

"This won't hurt for long," Hakkai said blasting him to oblivion. "Now we can go." Hakkai ran over to Karin to make sure she was alright and Gojyo hurried over to Ran's side. Goku in the meantime was held back by Sanzo who was concerned about the anonymous person who took out the other two attackers.

"And just who the hell are you?" Sanzo demanded, pointing his gun at the new comer.

"Put that weapon away boy," the stranger said from beneath the hood of a traveling cloak. "You'd have better luck shooting a god."

"That voice…" Karin thought. "Where have I heard it before?" Ran was wondering the same thing but being unable to put her finger on it.

"Are you in league with those other three?" Sanzo asked not lowering his gun.

"But Sanzo, he's the one who took out those guys," Goku pointed out.

"Perhaps, but then again it could just be a ploy to get us to lower our guard."

"Your vigilance hasn't wavered since I last saw you, Konzen," the man stated.

"You… are you by any chance acquainted with Homura?" Hakkai inquired after helping Karin stand.

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. These two know I am trustworthy…however," the man said from under the cloak.

Ran stood a bit with Gojyo's help as the man spoke and her eyes lit up. "Wait…you were the one who told us the guys were in trouble," Ran said pointing. "Back with that female demon…who enjoyed messing with people's dreams."

"Sir," Karin said stepping forward. "If I may ask, why did you help us?"

"I have my reasons," he answered.

"So why don't you show us your face then?" Sanzo asked.

"What good will it do you?" The man asked. "You might never see it again."

"I think that gives us all the more reason," Karin said. "I would like to see the face of the man who helped us."

Ran agreed fully and after a tense silence the man finally reached up and pulled off his hood to reveal an impossibly beautiful face with short dark auburn hair that fell in gentle waves across his face and piercing sapphire eyes that seemed to drag you in. Karin's mouth opened slightly as she stared at him in surprise. "You're that man…the man I saw at mom's funeral," she said softly.

"You….it was you?" Ran asked stumbling forward to get a better look. "Then you know where she is…tell me where you took her."

"I assume you mean Hotaru," the man said slowly turning his head to meet Ran's angry glare.

"Of course I mean her! Who else would I be talking about?" Ran demanded. "Now where is she?"

"I'm afraid she's no longer a part of this world," he said straightforwardly.

Ran gritted her teeth and rushed forward grabbing onto the front of his cloak. "Don't give me that crap…my mother was not a weakling and wouldn't be done in so easily. Now where did you take her?" she shouted at him…not in the best of moods.

"I have no reason to lie to you…what would I gain from it?" the man asked smoothly removing Ran's hand from his cloak.

He then reached into his cloak and brought out a small necklace handing it over to Ran. Seeing the piece of jewelry hanging from his hand Ran's anger left in a flurry to be replaced by anguish and she sank to her knees in despair.

"She wanted you to have this," he told her, dropping the trinket in front of her before turning on his heels.

"Wait a minute," Karin said in an attempt to halt the man. "Who are you?"

"No one you should concern yourself with," he answered before turning to look at the group of men. "As for you four, if you plan on keeping these two alive, I suggest you come up with more effective methods. I can't always be there to protect you."

The group looked away their pride seriously hurt and then he left. Ran stayed where she was for a long time staring at the necklace in front of her. "It can't be true…she can't be…gone," Ran thought sadly. "All this time I kept holding onto the possibility that she might come back and now I find out that she can't."

The group was silent for several minutes until Sanzo crudely broke it. "Let's go."

"But Sanzo…" Goku began feeling bad for Ran.

"If we stay here we'll only attract more trouble. Now let's go," Sanzo ordered.

Gojyo placed a hand on Ran's shoulder. "We should probably do what he says." Ran simply nodded before picking up the necklace, standing up, and following him. Karin started following Hakkai but was stopped by Chihiro's mewing.

"What's wrong, Chihiro?" She asked bending down to stroke the kitten only to find it had something shiny in its mouth. Karin took it and saw that it was some sort of locket. "Where did you find this Chihiro?" Karin asked surprised.

"Meow."

"Karin, what's the hold up? Let's get going," Hakkai called out.

"Coming," Karin replied putting the locket in her pocket and running after him. The group gathered onto Hakuryuu and traveled in silence all lost in their own thoughts.

"Sanzo…I'm hungry. When are we going to get to the next town?" Goku complained.

"Shut up," Sanzo ordered.

Hakkai didn't say anything as he was thinking about the strange man's words. "He's right…unless we can become stronger then we might lose them the next time there's trouble," he thought angrily. Gojyo was watching Ran who was sitting staring off in the distance and not so much as twitching. Karin was stroking Chihiro and trying to figure out who that man was and why he saved them.

* * *

Two and half days, seven hours, and thirteen minutes later, the group had arrived at a very small village. The inn was rather run down but it sufficed. However the six were all forced to share a single room and the boys were fighting for their rights to the two beds.

"I should think that the beds should go to the women," Hakkai suggested.

"No way I'm giving up my bed," Goku shouted.

"I refuse to sleep on the floor," Sanzo agreed.

"I really don't care. I'll sleep under the stars tonight," Ran muttered walking out the door without looking back.

"Ditto," Karin said raising her hand and following Ran out the door.

"Hey where do you think you two are going?" Gojyo asked suspiciously.

"We're sleeping outside…in case you didn't hear, and if I get wind of any of you coming to 'visit' then I'll smash you to a pulp," Ran explained still not looking at them.

They left with all the guys sweat dropping. "I suppose they don't wish to be disturbed," Hakkai guessed.

"Well in that case the second bed is mine," Gojyo declared.

"No way!" Goku shouted.

"Shut up, both of you!" Sanzo shouted firing off his gun.

"Maybe I should have gone with them," Hakkai thought with a weary smile.

"Boy it feels good to get a break from those guys," Ran said stretching, the necklace she had received swinging from her neck. "So any ideas about what those three weirdos wanted?"

Karin shook her head. "I'm as lost as you are." She pulled out the locket she had found the other day and absentmindedly tried to pry it open but to no avail. Somehow it had been welded shut.

"What is that thing?" Ran asked.

"Chihiro found it the other day after those men attacked us. I suppose it could belong to one of them."

"Right," Ran said rolling her eyes.

"You never know," Karin shrugged. The two walked for a while until they eventually were on the outskirt of the town in the wide open grassy fields. "The stars are really beautiful tonight," Karin murmured. "Everything looks so clear."

"Yeah it does look clear, but for once I don't feel like staring at them," Ran replied closing her eyes. "I can't believe that guy…takes my mom away and for what? To watch her die?"

"I'm sure it wasn't like that…" Karin began but Ran wouldn't have any of it.

"I don't care what the reason was. I'll never forgive him."

"I just wish I knew who he was," Karin said in wonderment. "I can't help but feel a sort of weird connection with him, kind of like I did when I first met you."

"I'll admit there was something there that made it difficult to really get mad at that guy…but why did he feel the need to take her from me? I needed her…I still need her," Ran argued shaking her head to keep from losing her composure. "If nothing else I want to know who it was that did it. They won't get away with taking her away from me."

"That's a pretty big statement from one so small," a voice said followed by a small chuckle.

"Zenon, must you torment the poor girl when she's clearly in distress?" A softer voice came. Karin turned and saw the three men from before.

"I'm rather surprised at you two," Homura stated. "After your last encounter I would have expected you to be more precarious."

"We're not going to hide in fear just because we were attacked," Karin told him, her eyes resolute.

"Exactly…we can take care of ourselves just fine," Ran added staring from one to the next.

"Well I guess you got the news about Hotaru…judging from your expression and the fact that her necklace is now hanging around your neck," Zenon said smirking.

"Oh shut up…I've been having a very bad week and I don't need you to make it worse," Ran muttered angrily. "What do you guys want this time anyhow?"

"We merely came to enjoy this beautiful night, as well as your company," Homura stated truthfully.

"The last time you were here, you made me almost hurt Hakkai and the others," Karin said with a small frown.

"I was merely showing them their present situation so that they would be on their guard," Homura told her simply. "Would you rather have accidentally lost your limiters and have them discover in that way, where you might have died as an end result?" Karin couldn't think of what to say to that.

"Okay I admit it would have been worse before…but why didn't you stop me? I could have seriously hurt someone?" Ran demanded.

"We stopped Karin because we could. You on the other hand we couldn't do anything about…and if we did you probably would have died," Homura explained.

"Great that makes me feel so much better."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Karin asked them with anticipation.

"In order to be able to help yourselves, you must first discover what you truly are."

"You know what we are already, don't you?" Ran assumed. "So why can't you just tell us?"

"I have already given my word that I would not say anything," Homura answered with an apologetic smile. "I have not, however, promised against pointing you in the right direction."

"I guess that's as good as we're going to get. Alright where is this big clue?" Ran asked in a defeated manner.

"It's in an abandoned house south from here," Homura explained.

"There's hardly anything left there but you should be able to find something useful," Zenon added.

"Oh and one more thing. You won't be able to take your friends with you," Homura continued.

"Why not?" Karin and Ran asked at the same time.

"Because of a barrier that was placed there long ago. Only those of particular… makeup can pass through," Homura explained mysteriously. "Not even we can tread upon that soil. So you won't have to worry too much about being attacked while you're there."

"Well that's one good thing," Ran said with some relief. "But why are you helping us?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?" Zenon asked her smirking.

"It's only natural that they would be curious of our intentions," Shien told him calmly. "After all, we didn't have to tell them anything."

"You don't have to trust us if you do not wish to. I merely wanted to assist the progeny of two old friends," Homura told the pair before turning and walking away. "Let's go." He told the pair and they started to follow them.

Karin hesitated for a moment, than ran towards them. "Wait!"

Homura stopped and turned, "Yes…is there something else you wanted?" Zenon had stopped as well and glanced back while Shien just stood in place.

Karin bowed deeply and said, "Thank you very much."

"You're very welcome," Homura replied kindly, momentarily placing a warm hand on her head. Zenon chuckled and the corners of Shien's mouth lifted as if they were sharing some sort of private joke. "Now raise your head and go do what you must. Once you find yourselves, we can converse further if you so desire," Homura promised. "Until then, I wish good fortune to you both."

And then the three of them vanished. "I don't mind going to this place without the guys…the only problem is how are we going to do it and convince them to stay put?" Ran asked thinking about their last…fun encounter.

"We'll think of something," Karin told her encouragingly. "I'm sure that if we just explain it to them they'll understand."

* * *

"Like hell, you two are going by yourselves," Gojyo said after they had finished explaining.

"Why not?" Ran asked incredulously. "It's not like we haven't traveled alone before."

"When the two of you were traveling alone you had a lot less to worry about," Hakkai pointed out.

"Yeah…but for one thing this is well out of your way and apparently there's a barrier that only Karin and I can get through," Ran argued.

"And you know this how?" Gojyo asked raising an eyebrow.

Ran faltered. "Well… uh… you see…"

"Our women's intuition told us!" Karin piped up.

"Wow really…I didn't know girls had something like that," Goku said completely impressed. Hakkai raised an eyebrow and Gojyo stared at them with a look of 'you honestly think I'm going to by that'.

Sanzo sat across the room lighting up a cigarette seeming not to care one way or the other. "Just let them go on their stupid little field trip," Sanzo muttered. "It'll get them off our backs at least."

Before Hakkai or Gojyo could snap a comment back at him Karin stood up. "Guys, please. This is something we really need to do. But we promise we won't be long, and we'll have Chihiro with us. Just trust us, okay?"

"Yes, trust. It's what friends do," Ran added.

The two stared at them for a moment trying to come up with something to keep them there. "Look how about this…if anything happens we'll send Chihiro to come get you guys okay," Ran suggested heaving a sigh.

"Well obviously nothing we say or do is going to stop you guys," Gojyo sighed shaking his head.

"Alright we'll let you go…but you will promise to keep in touch and alert us should anything go wrong," Hakkai said worriedly.

"Yeah we promise," Ran laughed. "Really guys, there's nothing to worry about."

Karin nodded in agreement. As the two girls were bidding farewell to the four boys, Hakkai pulled Karin aside. "Before you left, I wanted to give you this," Hakkai said, placing something cool into her hand. It was a pocket watch that was cracked and had stopped working.

"What is this?" Karin asked curiously.

"It's an item that's very special to me. It'll bring you good luck and hopefully ensure that you two make it back in one piece," Hakkai said pulling her into a hug. "Just promise me that you'll bring it back and that you won't remove your limiters."

"I promise," Karin replied with a smile. "And I'll take good care of this…thank you."

Gojyo had pulled Ran aside for a moment as well and Ran was looking at him curiously. "What's up Gojyo…you're not still worried about this trip are you?" Ran asked shaking her head.

"Well, knowing you, yeah I'm just a tad bit on the concerned side," Gojyo said with a smirk. "Just try to keep a cool head while you're out there."

"Yeah yeah," Ran said not wanting another lecture.

"By the way, take this," he said tossing her something small and silver. She caught it and saw that it was his lighter.

"Does this mean you're giving up smoking?" She asked.

"Oh hell no," Gojyo said sounding appalled that she would even suggest such a thing. "That's just my way of saying that I trust you'll be quick to return it, otherwise…" He placed a hand on her head and gave her a small wink. "I'll come hunting for you."

Ran pushed his hand off her head and chuckled, "You got it. Come on Karin…the sooner we leave the sooner we can make it back."

"Alrighty," Karin called out saying goodbye to Hakkai one last time. Chihiro transformed into her larger form and Ran and Karin hopped on.

"See ya later guys," Ran shouted as they rode off into the distance.

The four men watched as the girls left. "Think they'll be alright?" Gojyo asked Hakkai.

"I certainly hope so," Hakkai replied.

"Come on guys! I'm hungry," Goku told them.

"Hey Sanzo, give me a light would ya?" Gojyo asked him.

"Forget it…you just gave yours away. I'm not about to do the same with mine," Sanzo replied brusquely.

"Don't be so stingy you stupid monk," Gojyo said annoyed.

"Look who's calling who stupid," Sanzo replied.

"You that's who I'm calling stupid."

"Say that again and I'll kill you."

"I'm beginning to understand why they didn't want us to come along," Hakkai mumbled under his breath.

"Hey guys come on…I want some food," Goku shouted getting all their attention.

"Shut up," Sanzo shouted firing off his gun.

"Man it's probably because of you they didn't want us along," Gojyo grumbled. *bang*

"You think they'll get far?" Karin asked Ran as she heard gunshots in the distance.

Ran shook her head. "Not a chance."

* * *

CM: Next time on Fire and Blood..............

Goku: You guys are what????

Sanzo: Terrific, another thing I have to deal with.

Haku: That's rather interesting. I never would have guessed....

Gojyo: And you say you need to go where?

CM: Stay tuned! And thank you for your wonderful reviews! They nourish my soul. Lol, jk, they nourish the soul of this story. :P


	14. Birthrights

CM: Hey everyone! Happy New Year! Sorry for the delay in posting. I'm on vacation so you know how it is. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy!

Birthrights- A Miraculous Origin

"So how are we planning to find this house Homura was talking about?" Ran asked Karin as they set out on their own.

Karin stroked Chirhiro's neck. "How about it Chihiro? Think you can give us a bird's eye view?"

Chihiro purred loudly before leaning back on her hind legs and leaping into the air. "Now this is traveling," Ran shouted as the air rushed passed her face. Karin just smiled and gave Chihiro a pat on the neck.

They traveled by air looking at the ground for any sign that resembled what Homura had described. A couple hours later Ran spotted an area that looked like it had been cleared out and no vegetation was growing near it. "Hey, Karin…how about that place," Ran shouted against the wind as she pointed toward the ground.

"Take us down, Chihiro," Karin told her and the demon cat obeyed. She touched down on the grass a few feet away from where there was none to be had. The odd thing was, the grass seemed to stop growing at a particular point. "The signs of a barrier," Karin murmured.

"I guess we found it then," Ran mumbled to herself. "Well shall we?"

"Indeed let's get this over with," Karin replied. "Chihiro wait here." The two patted Chihiro on the head before heading through the barrier and into the area. As they passed through the barrier they both experienced a slight tingling sensation…Ran enjoying every moment of it. Karin was worried about the tingling as it was slightly painful for her.

Once they had passed through Ran let out a laugh, "Wow that was fun. I'll bet it'll tickle again once we head out."

"I found it rather uncomfortable," Karin admitted.

"As you should, you of an amalgam birth," an immaculate voice resounded throughout the clearing.

"Amalga-who?" Ran asked in confusing.

"It's a more delicate term for a cross-bred," Karin whispered to her.

"Oh… how nice," Ran said.

"We haven't come for a fight," Karin spoke clearly. "We came to find the truth about ourselves."

"As I assumed Karin Hanaii, and Ran Sato," the man's voice replied.

"Wait a second…I thought this place was supposed to be abandoned," Ran pointed out remembering what Homura had said.

"It is…all except for me have left," the man replied.

"Well why did you stay behind?"

"I have been waiting for the two of you to come. I was told by Hotaru and Setsuna to stay here and await the day you would come to discover your birth rights."

"Well don't be shy now," Ran told him. "We won't bite, so come on out."

"…As you wish." A bright ball of light began shimmering in front of them. Then a body began to materialize from the center until the light dimmed and a man stood before them.

Karin and Ran stared awestruck. It was no ordinary man, that much they could tell. He was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties, with long hair that fell in a golden waterfall around his face, and radiant, honey brown eyes. He was dazzlingly handsome. No other words could describe him.

"I thought Homura said Gods couldn't get through the barrier," Ran mumbled as soon as she found her voice.

"I'm not a God…I am an angel," the man explained tilting his head toward them. Ran's eyes widened at his answer and she started walking around him to his back. "What are you looking for?" he asked suddenly.

"If you're an angel….what happened to your wings?"

"That is a story for another time," he replied.

"Um…okay. So you're an angel, you know our parents, and you say we're half-breeds," Ran summed up.

He gave a single nod. "That is correct."

"So then… does that mean our parents… they were angels too?" Karin deduced.

"Exactly," the angel answered bowing his head. "I see you carry your father's intellect."

"Wow…and I thought dad calling me his little angel was just metaphorical," Ran muttered blinking in surprise. "Well…I guess that explains a lot."

"So first off…who are you?" Karin asked.

"My name is Mitsu."

"And…is there a last name that goes with that?"

He closed his eyes and his face blushed slightly. "It's Mitsu Bishi." Ran's face twitched as she tried to keep in her laughter.

"That's such a lovely name," Karin proclaimed clasping her hands together.

*snort* That was when Ran's restraint completely fell apart. "Wasn't that the name of the car we borrowed?" She asked Karin between gasps.

"You know, now that you mention it, I think it was called a Mitsubishi."

"That's just too funny," Ran snickered.

"I didn't choose my own name you know," Mitsu said with repressed irritation.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you but that name is simply hilarious," Ran laughed holding her hand in front of her mouth.

"Okay…back to business," Mitsu said clearing his throat. "You two now know that you are angels…but before I can give you any more information I'll need to know just how much about angels do you two actually know."

"We don't," Karin told him truthfully. "My father left after I was born."

"Neither my mom or my dad ever said anything," Ran said shrugging. "And she left when I was still young."

"So you two are completely clueless?" He asked in slight disbelief. Both nodded and he sighed. "I suppose I should start from the beginning then. In the beginning there were gods and they created angels as servants. For a time they lived together with the angels in lower status subservient to the gods. Then around 300 years ago a few angels appeared who's powers were almost akin to those of the gods. The gods became afraid that the angels would exceed their level of power and take over, so they systematically began wiping out the angel race. Only a handful managed to make it to earth and start new lives. Your parents were among those that survived," Mitsu explained sadly.

Ran and Karin were left speechless by his words. "So that's why those three guys from before…wanted to kill us," Ran thought somewhat frightened now.

"These days angel hunting isn't common, however, there are still those who wish to eradicate us. The Erasers as they call themselves, were specifically designed to eliminate angels, no matter how strong they are. Thankfully we have an advantage."

"What's that?" They asked curiously.

"Strength in numbers," he said with a small smirk that almost reminded Ran of Gojyo. "The more angels there are in a given area, the more their power ascends. And though you two are half human, you still have angel blood dwelling in your veins."

"I guess that explains why my dad told us to stick together as much as possible," Ran muttered thoughtfully.

"Now that I think about it I have noticed that I'm stronger when Ran is nearby," Karin admitted.

"Exactly. Now I have noticed that the two of you do have rather large problems with your powers. Karin, the demon blood that runs through your veins fights against your angel blood making you lose control. Ran the angel blood that runs through your veins has more power than your body can handle…if given the right amount of persuasion you lose control as you try to find out exactly how strong you are," Mitsu told the two showing just how much about them he knew.

"How do you know so much?" Karin inquired.

"I knew from the moment you both walked through that barrier," he replied simply. "It's a gift."

"So then the stories of angels having wings are untrue?" Ran asked.

"Quite the contrary, our wings are one of our many unique qualities."

"So then where are yours?" Ran asked dubiously.

"Angels can summon or hide their wings at will," Mitsu explained closing his eyes. "I will show you mine." He spread out his arms and his aura glowed brightly before a pair of iridescent pale yellow wings appeared on his back. They were completely made of energy and one could almost see through them.

"Wow."

"So you see," he continued, his wings fading out of sight. "Each angel has their own unique set of wings determined by their character. Though I doubt you'll need to know that. The chances of you two developing wings are minute."

"Why's that? How do you get wings?" Ran asked legitimately interested.

"It's because you two are only half angels. You have not yet gained enough control over your own power as to form your energy into the wings," Mitsu explained shortly.

"You said that the wings are determined by the angel's character. What did you mean by that?" Karin asked curiously.

"The shade of the wings," He answered meaningfully. "The darker the angels wings are the more tainted their character is."

"Oh, so then you're barely tainted at all right?" Ran asked pointing out the color of his wings.

"I am what you perceive," Mitsu said with an amused smile.

"So then there is hope for us?" Ran asked him.

"It's possible. Though if you really want answers, you should go to the village of angels. It lies in the far northwest deep within a forest. To others it will appear to be nothing more than a wasteland, but your eyes should be able to see it for what it is." "

"How far north?" Karin asked feeling let down.

"Not too far north…you'd be heading more west than anything," Mitsu explained smiling.

"Great…maybe we'll be able to stay with the guys the whole way," Ran explained happily. "Wait…why didn't Homura tell us about that in the first place?"

"Homura has always had a strange sense of humor. He probably thought sending you two here was amusing," Mitsu said with a laugh. "Well I shall take my leave. May we meet again safely in the village of angels."

And with that, he vanished in a glow of light. "Wow… so we're angels."

"Half angels," Ran corrected. "Man how are we going to explain this to the guys?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure something out once we see them again," Karin said smiling. "Now come on, let's see how fast we can catch up with them."

_

* * *

_

"Well… that certainly didn't take long," Karin said with a strained smile.

They had made it back to the village where they had stayed at before their trip south and found that the Sanzo group hadn't moved at all. "You guys didn't even move?" Ran asked shocked. "I figured you would have at least made it to the next village by now."

"Well the monkey here wouldn't leave until he'd eaten everything and Sanzo wanted to rest a bit longer," Gojyo explained laughing.

"It's good to see you both are alright," Hakkai welcomed them with a smile. "Did you find what you both were looking for?"

"More than bargained for, actually," Karin replied.

"Well you can tell us all about it on the road," Gojyo told them. "The monk has decreed that we're leaving after lunch."

"But Chihiro's exhausted," Karin protested, motioning to the kitten that was asleep in her arms.

"That's okay…it'll be easier to hear your explanation if we all ride on Hakuryuu together," Hakkai replied smiling.

"Yeah…I want to know what you guys are too," Goku exclaimed.

"Right we'll explain everything along the way," Ran said rubbing Goku's head and smirking.

Once they were on the road, Ran and Karin told them everything they had discovered from their short journey. After they were done explaining, the guys were momentarily at a loss for words. "So let me get this straight," Gojyo said after the information sunk in. "You two are half angels?"

"Apparently," Ran replied with a shrug.

"I knew you two were angelic but I wasn't expecting it to be quite so…literal," Gojyo said surprised.

"Oh please," Ran mumbled rolling her eyes.

"So then those three from before were some of the Erasers who hunt angels," Sanzo clarified.

"So now you two are going to try to reach that village of angels?" Hakkai asked.

"Yes, according to Mitsu we should be able to learn more if we go there," Karin explained.

"Wow…I wonder what your wings will look like when you finally get them," Goku exclaimed ignoring the rest of the conversation.

"You dumb monkey," Gojyo said whacking him on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"To knock some sense into that thick skull of yours."

"You guys are certainly taking this better than we imagined," Karin noted.

"Let's just say we've seen enough not to be all that surprised anymore," Hakkai told her with a laugh.

"Besides, the fact that you two are half angels is hardly of any importance," Sanzo commented.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked him.

"Does the fact that you're part something else change who you are?" He asked her in a hard voice.

Karin smiled. "No… I guess it doesn't."

"No but it's nice to know anyway," Ran replied shrugging. "If nothing else it makes it easy to understand why certain things happen."

"That and perhaps we can find out how to fix our problems," Karin added.

"That's right…now that we know there should be something out there that can help," Gojyo said happily.

"We'll probably find an answer at the angel village," Ran said leaning against the back.

"We are not making another side trip," Sanzo told her firmly.

"According to the guy we met, it's on the way," Ran said.

"I don't care. I have no desire to visit a village solely comprised out of people who come from the same place as those three." He of course meant Homura and his group.

"I don't think we'd have to worry about anything like that. The angels and the Gods aren't exactly on friendly terms," Karin divulged.

"Do you think they'll have good food?" Goku asked.

"I said we're not going!" Sanzo shouted.

"Whatever," Ran muttered shrugging her shoulders. "We might end up going after all if we spot it on the road."

"There's nothing that will make me change my mind…we are not going," Sanzo declared.

"Just like you said there was no way you were letting these two come with us…right?" Gojyo asked with a smirk. *bang* Sanzo fired off his gun just missing Gojyo and the rest of the group cracked up.

* * *

That night the group was camped out in a field beneath the stars. Everyone was fairly spread out. "At least nobody will be able to easily sneak up on us," Hakkai said looking on the bright side.

"Yeah, but we're not exactly inconspicuous ourselves," Gojyo pointed out.

"There's nothing to eat out here," Goku complained.

"Shut up," Sanzo ordered. "I am not going to stay up all night listening to you."

"If your hungry Goku I should be able to rustle something up," Ran said getting up and rubbing her neck.

"I'm afraid my talents won't be much help here because there aren't many plants," Karin said apologetically.

"No worries…I'll see what I can grab," Ran said taking a quick look around before heading off toward the north.

Karin watched her run off before glancing over at Hakkai who was finishing unrolling his sleeping bag. He looked up at her when she approached him. "Is there something you needed?"

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" She asked.

He smiled. "You don't even need to ask." He straightened up and allowed her to lead the way.

They walked a ways away from the camp before Hakkai asked, "So is there something you wanted?"

"Well I guess for starters I wanted to return this to you," Karin said handing him the broken pocket watch. "You were right, this really did give us a lot of luck."

"I'm glad it did," Hakkai said happily taking it and placing it into his pocket.

Karin stared up at the sky. "It's really clear tonight."

"You seem to have a lot on your mind," Hakkai noticed.

"I guess I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm part angel," Karin admitted.

"I'm not all that surprised. I've always thought of you as an angel."

"Huh?"

Hakkai laughed. "Sorry about that. I guess Gojyo must be rubbing off on me."

Karin laughed too. "Well I'm flattered."

"Well no matter what happens from now on I'll always be here to help out," Hakkai promised.

"Thank you…that means a lot. My only hope is that I don't find something about myself that I'll regret discovering," Karin said looking down at the ground.

"I'm sure that there isn't anything about you that you will regret," Hakkai told her reassuringly.

"How can there not be…" Karin asked in a hushed whispered. "When there's already something about me that you yourself regret?"

Hakkai's eyes widened the slightest. "Is that what you really believe?" She said nothing. "I don't regret saving your life. My only regret is the problems that sprung up because of it," Hakkai replied placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hakkai, if I were to ever lose control again," Karin said slowly. "I…want you to be the one who…"

"Stop it," Hakkai said firmly. "Don't talk as if there's only one fate in store for you. There's still plenty of time."

Karin lowered her head. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Hakkai pulled her into a tight hug. "If there's even a chance to keep it from happening again I will fight for it. I don't want to see you in so much pain…ever again," he whispered caringly.

Karin rested her head on his shoulder. She understood what he was feeling, because she herself didn't want to see him hurt. What she wouldn't give to be able to express her affection for him further, but she didn't want to push him. After all, she promised that she would wait.

* * *

"Hey wait up Ran…it's not safe out here alone," Gojyo shouted after her.

"If you wanted to come with me you should have said something…I would have waited," Ran replied turning around.

"Well why did you go this way?"

"I caught sight of a moving shadow that resembled a deer…so I came to check it out."

"Well, that's all well and good, but I believe you have something of mine," Gojyo said holding his hand out.

"Oh, you mean this thing?" Ran asked pulling out his lighter and tossing it to him.

"Glad to see you didn't lose it," Gojyo said catching it and then using it to light a cigarette.

"Is that all you came here for?" Ran asked.

"Naw…I wanted to make sure you didn't get caught out here alone with one of those Erasers," Gojyo muttered through his smoke.

"Oh please…I'd take care of them if I did run into one. They won't be able to do much against me when I'm at full power," Ran replied smirking.

"That may be, but maybe you should think about keeping a lid on that for a while until you actually know how to use it," Gojyo advised. "You're a pain to wrestle down."

"Well I don't plan on going berserk anytime soon. The way I see it as long as I keep my anger in check then it'll be fine."

Gojyo chuckled. "In that case we're all doomed."

"Thanks, I can just feel the confidence rolling off your words."

"Hey, don't take everything so seriously," Goyo told her smirking. "I trust you."

"Thanks," Ran said smiling. "It helps to know someone does." Ran turned back to where she had seen the shadow and couldn't find any sign of him. "Ah great…now you made me lose him," Ran groaned rubbing her head.

"That's just fine…I'll just have to have you for dinner then," Gojyo said wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"What are you doing? Let go," Ran said her face turning bright red.

"Come on, I know you're stronger than that. You must not want out very badly," Gojyo said nuzzling her neck and placing his lips close to her ear. "Could it be that you're falling for me?"

Ran's eyes twitch and she grabbed her small hammer from her belt and hit Gojyo in the knee with it forcing him to release her. "Does that answer your question you jerk?" Ran shouted looking flustered.

Gojyo rubbed his aching knee but smiled nonetheless. "Admit it, I'm growing on you."

"How about I grow you a few bruises?" Ran growled before pulling out the big hammer and began chasing him around. Though… as she chased him around she realized… she really wasn't all that angry. Because she found herself laughing.

When the two finally got back to the camp they were out of breath and Ran had managed to find an animal for dinner. "Sorry Goku…I lost the big one but at least I found something," Ran said as she sat down and began preparing the meat.

"So what were you two doing out there? Having a lovers stroll under the stars," Hakkai asked as Gojyo joined the circle as well…several bruises visible.

"Like you're one to talk," Gojyo muttered.

"Here," Karin said handing him some ointment. "It should help with the swelling."

"You might want to save that ointment for someone who deserves it," Ran commented.

"That's rather cold of you, Ran," Karin noted.

"She's probably the reason he has those bruises in the first place," Sanzo observed.

"Wow, she sure beat you up good huh, pervy water sprite? Sorry I missed it," Goku said with a laugh only to get put into a head lock by Gojyo.

"Then how about I give you a first hand demonstration on what you missed?"

"Ah Gojyo let go," Goku shouted fighting back.

"Man you two are such children," Ran muttered putting the meat over the fire to roast. "Now shut up and sit down or neither of you two are going to get anything."

Not wanting to be left to starve, Goku and Gojyo quieted down and the rest of the evening went by peacefully.

* * *

Soon after, everyone had fallen asleep. When the firelight had died out and it became dark, a shadow approached Karin's sleeping form.

"I will be taking it back now," the form said silently stooping down to her level.

"It would be a good idea to back away from her. I'd hate to see the sticky situation you would be in if she happened to wake up," Hakkai said coming up behind him.

The stranger halted and turned so that cold sapphires met cool emeralds. "This doesn't concern you."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree," Hakkai differed. He recognized the stranger as the man who had helped them destroy the Erasers.

"You are aware of what she is?"

"I am, and am I correct to assume that you share that certain aspect as well?"

"Then you should know, a demon has no business in the affairs of angels," the stranger replied coldly.

"As long as she travels with us…angel or not she's a friend and anyone who appears to be a danger to her will have to pass through me first," Hakkai declared just as coolly.

"Are you saying you're her protector?" The stranger questioned now fully facing Hakkai. "What makes you think you have the right, you, the person who is the source of her suffering?"

"I don't," Hakkai replied unflinchingly. "You're absolutely right. I don't deserve to protect her. However, despite all that has happened, she believes in me. As long as I have that, I will find a way to amend my mistake so that she won't have to suffer any longer. I will earn the right to protect her."

The stranger looked at him for a moment thoughts of approval running through his mind. "I see you truly care for her. However, as a demon you would only bring more pain to her by expressing your feelings," he said standing up and walking away, abandoning what he had come there for.

Hakkai stood there as he watched the stranger fade away in the darkness. Though his face didn't show it, the man's parting words had cut him deep. He went over to Karin checking to make sure she was alright. "It doesn't seem like he did anything to her," Hakkai thought brushing some hair from her face.

She stirred a little but did not awaken. "Hakkai…I made you some cake," she whispered contentedly, her head shifting to the other side.

Hakkai chuckled a little though he didn't feel too into it as he once again started feeling like he would only hurt her. He sighed heavily and then went back to bed unable to sleep.

* * *

CM: Next time on Fire and Blood.....

Karin: You were never there for me.

Hakkai: If only I could tell you...

Goku: Aw man, not you guys again!

Gojyo: Stay away from them.

Ran: Wait, they may know something.

CM: Stay tuned!


	15. Matters of the Heart

CM: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews so far. We're so glad to know that we're doing things right. Keep sending them in and let us know if you think the story could use any improvement in some areas. :D

Matters of the Heart- A father's protection

Over the next week or so, Hakkai seemed a little off, however, he was able to hide his distress quite well….though not well enough. Karin noticed this slight difference in his demeanor and started to worry about what could have caused it.

On the road halfway between two towns, they once again had an encounter with not so pleasant company. "DIE SANZO PARTY," a demon shouted as he and his buddies ran down the cliff to their left while others filled the path in front and behind them.

"Well at least this time they thought about it and came from all directions instead of just one," Hakkai pointed out jokingly.

"Yeah…they're getting smarter. Exactly what we need," Ran muttered shaking her head.

"Why are you saying it like it's a good thing?" Sanzo growled.

"Look at it this way," Karin said as she slashed through the demons. "At least we're getting afternoon exercise."

"Yeah, I say we get some food afterwords!" Goku suggested .

"Don't you ever shut up about food?" Gojyo demanded.

"Actually a meal doesn't sound so bad," Ran said.

"Ha! See, Ran agrees with me," Goku said sticking his tongue out.

"Why you--"

"Do you two want to join them?" Sanzo asked dangerously after shooting a group of demons.

"No thanks," Gojyo said turning back to the fight at hand.

"Well looks like that's it," Karin said looking around at the now deserted area.

"Yeah looks like your right. Let's get a move on," Ran agreed putting away her hammer and walking back toward Hakuryuu. Just then there was a loud crack and Karin jolted backward surprise written in her eyes.

"Where did that shot come from? Whoever fired that is going to die," Goku said angrily.

"Karin you okay?" Ran asked running for her friend and keeping an eye out for any more shots.

Hakkai was already at her side, checking for a bullet wound but found none. Instead, he saw a locket with a new dent in the front and it had been jarred open from the impact. "Ouch," Karin murmured. "That stung."

She sat up gingerly sporting a large bruise where the bullet had hit the locket and took the time to open the locket and see what was inside. She found a picture of her mom with a baby in her arms and her father holding her. That's when she realized just who her father was.

"Impossible…I shot that woman," a demon cried out seeing Karin sit up.

*bang* Sanzo had spotted him and fired, "And now I've shot you."

"Hey Karin…how ya feeling? What kept that bullet from hitting you?" Ran asked when she finally reached her.

"I'm fine," Karin told her, quickly stuffing the locket back into her shirt. "I guess it glanced off somehow."

"Well, since no one seems in any immediate peril, we should get going," Gojyo stated. "The town is just up ahead right, Hakkai?"

"Yes we should be there in practically no time," Hakkai said standing up and heading back for Hakuryuu.

"Alright and once we get there we're going to eat right?" Goku asked his mouth watering.

"You bet Goku," Ran said smiling. "And Sanzo will be treating of course."

"Don't get cocky," Sanzo muttered as he got into the jeep.

That night, after they had stopped at the next town and gotten a few rooms at the inn, Ran decided to step out for some fresh air. "Man that was a close one. I don't know how Karin managed to dodge that but lucky that she did." She sighed heavily. "And here I'm supposed to be looking after her. Great job so far. Sorry… Auntie.'

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You can't always be there when you want to be," Gojyo said coming up behind her.

"What are you doing out here? Can I not even go for a walk without you following me?" Ran asked annoyed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get a look at that glum little face of yours," Gojyo said with a smirk and turning on his heels. "But if you don't want me around then I guess I'll take my leave."

"Wait…" Ran stopped him. Reluctantly she added, "It's no big deal. You can stay if you want."

"So you want me around?" Gojyo asked smirking.

"I said stay if YOU want," Ran repeated irately.

"In that case I will," Gojyo said walking toward her again. Ran rolled her eyes and continued with her walk through the town. "So what are you moping around out here for?" Gojyo asked non-chalontly. "Are you still going on about that fight we had earlier? There was nothing you could have done back there."

"Yeah I know…that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty about it," Ran replied shrugging.

"Look, in a world like this, crap happens," Gojyo said. "It's not anything you should feel guilty about. If anything it's partly Karin's fault for letting her guard down so readily, and I think she would agree with me on that."

"But I made a promise to Auntie that I would help keep her safe," Ran told him.

"Yeah, but you can only do so much. You're not a god after all."

"Oh haha," Ran muttered bitterly. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yep, is it working?"

"No."

"Then why are you smiling?" Gojyo asked with a hint of taunting.

"Because I think you're a dork."

"I can live with that."

Ran couldn't help herself, she laughed at his antics and Gojyo grinned triumphantly. "Okay…so maybe it's helping a little bit," she admitted grudgingly.

"Good, so ready to go back yet?" Gojyo asked.

"Oh are you worried about me?" Ran asked tauntingly.

"Yeah in fact I am."

"Well…I'm not going back just yet," Ran replied leaping onto a nearby roof and sitting there…Gojyo followed.

"You know you really are angelic when you fly through the air like that. I can't imagine what you'd look like with your wings on."

"Dunno," Ran said whimsically gazing at the sky. "But if I could choose what they would look like, I know what color I'd choose."

"Really? What's that?" He asked curiosity getting the better of him.

"The same color as… your hair." Ran told him slightly embarrassed.

Gojyo blinked. "My hair?"

"Yeah… I think it looks really cool," Ran admitted. Gojyo was silent for several moments and at first Ran thought she might have said something to offend him.

"Tell me," he said finally. "When you look at my hair, what do you see?"

"What do I see…well that's easy…I see a fire," Ran replied with a smile.

"I think that fits your hair a little better," Gojyo said somewhat surprised.

"Naw…I've been around fire for a long time and it fits your color a lot better," Ran corrected knowingly.

"So my hair color doesn't bother you?"

"How could it bother me…red is my favorite color," Ran told him confused by his question.

Gojyo smiled a little. "I see. Well then I guess it's not so bad after all."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ran asked.

"It's nothing," Gojyo said quickly. Ran frowned a little but respected his secrecy. "So how about we go paint the town red?" Gojyo asked smiling.

"I might like the color but I'm not going to be doing anything like that," Ran said annoyed. "I think I'll just head back to the inn."

"Ah why can't we spend another night just the two of us on the rooftop?"

"Because the last time was because you wouldn't leave and I passed out so I had no say in the matter."

"Admit it you enjoyed it."

"I did not now drop it."

Gojyo just laughed and shook his head. "Whatever you say."

* * *

"Karin…" Karin looked around her room. That's strange… she could have sworn…. "Karin." She heard her name called again, more insistently. But where was it coming from? She closed her eyes and listened. She heard the voice calling out to her, and without opening her eyes, she followed it, as if a rope had been wrapped around her and was now pulling her along.

When the pulling feeling stopped Karin opened her eyes and found herself in the forest outside of town. "Who could have called me way out here?" Karin asked herself.

"Karin…I see you now know who I am," a familiar voice said from the shadows.

Karin looked up to see the man who had helped her twice before. "You're Setsuna, the man who my mother loved more than anything… my father."

"That is correct," he confirmed.

"So why didn't you just come out and say it?" Karin asked him.

"I didn't feel that it was something you needed to concern yourself with."

"How can it not be?" Karin demanded. "You're my father!" Karin had always wondered what her father would be like, but she never would have imagined it to be this man. She remembered how her mother would always reminisce about her father, how she would always tell Karin how much she resembled him. Even as she was lying on her death bed, she talked of nothing but him. "Why? Why did you leave when she needed you? When I needed you?"

Setsuna closed his eyes. "My reasons are my own. Besides… I never wanted a child."

Karin was amazed at how painful those words were for her. "I see… so I was an inconvenience."

"Essentially…yes you were," Setsuna replied.

"Then why help me now?" Karin demanded. "Why act like you care after all this time?"

"Because I don't regret your existence nor will I allow someone to take it from you," Setsuna explained.

"Is there a reason you called me out here?" Karin asked him.

"Yes, I wanted to tell you… to cease your affiliations with Cho Hakkai."

Karin's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why should I?"

"Because he's a demon and you are an angel. You are already a taboo child of angel and human birth. Can you imagine the sort of life a child from that unholy union would lead?" Setsuna asked with understanding in his eyes. "I'm sure Hakkai is beginning to understand that as well."

Understanding suddenly flooded Karin's face. "You… you got to him."

"I don't deny it," he answered.

"What did you tell him?" Karin demanded.

"I merely told him the truth, and that is that nothing good can come of this, so you should stop pursuing it. It's foolishness."

"How dare you," Karin whispered with hurt in her voice. "What gives you any right to decide who is allowed to be with who?"

"Listen to me…"

"No, you listen!"

Suddenly a demon burst out of the ground and sprang at them. Karin was caught off guard but before she had time to blink Setsuna stood in front of her with his double edge sword through the demon's chest. "You see this?" He asked her. "This is what he is. And this is what you will become if you choose to stray from your path." Karin wasn't listening, she was too busy staring at his wings that had come out. They were a very deep shade of violet.

"Do you understand me Karin?" Setsuna asked realizing she wasn't paying attention.

Karin took a step back. "I understand completely. I don't want you coming anywhere near me or my friends again. I've survived this long without you, so I don't need your 'fatherly' advice. Not when I had to watch mom waste away by your hand." With that she tore the locket off her throat and tossed it to the ground. "You say you never wanted a child, then fine. I don't need a father." And with that she ran back to town, forcing back the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes.

"Well, that was the most interesting family reunion I've ever seen," a deeply amused voice said from behind Setsuna.

"I don't recall asking for your commentary," Setsuna replied turning around. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I simply came to see my good friend reunited with his one and only daughter," Homura replied with a smile.

"I believe having a fall out would be the more accurate term," Setsuna replied shortly.

"Have you ever thought of reconciling with her?" Homura suggested.

"What point would there be in it?"

"That would be something for you to determine."

"I don't care what you do, but I'll be taking my leave," Setsuna said turning on his heel and leaving the forest.

"Setsuna…you don't seem to realize what a gem you are leaving behind," Homura said shaking his head. He noticed that Setsuna had left the locket lying on the ground and decided to pick it up for his good friend. "Perhaps then, I should make the endeavor to appease this little family quarrel."

* * *

Hakkai heard the door of his room open without announcement and turned to see Karin standing in the doorway. "Karin," Hakkai stated in surprise. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Yes," Karin said seriously, closing the door behind her. "I wanted to know… Since when did you start letting others' opinions decide how you live your life?"

Hakkai's eyes widened at her question curious as to how she knew about that little exchange. "That man you spoke to was Setsuna…my biological father," Karin added unhappily.

"He's your father? That would explain how adamant he was about that," Hakkai said thoughtfully.

"Yeah I guess those paternal instincts were just late in kicking in," Karin muttered bitterly.

"I'm not letting his opinion affect the way I live…but what he said that night made me think things through," Hakkai explained saddened by her acrimonious tone. "And what if he's right?"

"I don't know what Setsuna said to you," Karin told him. "But I want you to understand something. I care for you. I want to be with you. But I can't do that if you don't want me there. As I said before, I'll wait for an answer, but please don't make your final decision based on what others think."

"Alright…I promise," Hakkai told her with a warm smile.

"Thank you," Karin replied. She walked forward and gave him a long warm hug. "Now…how about I make you some cake?"

"I would like that very much," Hakkai replied happily.

As Hakkai helped Karin out in the kitchen, the two laughed and smiled as if the encounter with Setsuna never happened. 'Karin…' He thought. 'I'm sorry that I can't tell you now. Right now, I don't feel I'm worthy of saying such a thing to you. Not when I'm still dwelling on past mistakes I'll never be able to change and letting them obscure my image of you. Long ago I swore that I would never allow myself to love again, yet I couldn't even do that. I truly am a weak and selfish person with so many faults. Yet you continue to embrace me along with my imperfections. Perhaps soon, I'll be able to speak aloud those words of ardor, but not until I feel I've earned the right to.'

The night continued peacefully and the group managed to get a full nights rest.

_

* * *

_

The next day they had an encounter with demons that was over before breakfast was ready. After the fight they enjoyed their breakfast. "Hey that's mine," Goku shouted at Gojyo.

"I didn't see your name on it."

"It was on my plate you jerk."

"So what…until you put it in your mouth food is free game."

"Goku, if you're still hungry you can have the rest of mine…I'm full," Ran said breaking through the argument.

"Wow, Ran, thanks," Goku exclaimed grabbing the plate of food and wolfing it down.

"It looks like there isn't another town for another three days at least," Karin announced, taking a bite of her food while examining the map.

"Really?" Ran asked.

"Yeah, according to this, we'll have to bypass a mountain to get there."

"You sure you're reading that right?" Ran asked sceptically.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"I dunno, you and Hakkai manage to get us lost quite easily," Ran replied doubtfully.

"Fine, if you're so directionally able then how about you be the navigator from now on," Karin politely offered.

"No thanks, I have a big enough job babysitting these two," Ran said jabbing a thumb at Gojyo and Goku.

"I wouldn't mind if you were distracted by something. It might just help you relax a bit," Gojyo said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…besides we don't need to be babysit," Goku added.

"I rest my case."

"Just shut up all of you…you're giving me a headache," Sanzo muttered unusually subdued.

"Well if we're all done I'm sure Hakuryuu is ready to hit the road," Hakkai spoke up as happily as ever.

"Then let's head out," Karin declared seeing how Chihiro seemed eager for more traveling. It only took a few hours of travel before the mountainous landscape that Karin had mention came into view. "See, I told you," Karin said to Ran.

"You were right there is a mountain…let's just hope it only takes three days to get over it though," Ran reminded her. "Knowing our time…it'll probably take closer to five."

"You know she's got a point…we are pretty slow aren't we," Gojyo said laughing.

"We won't know how long it'll take until we try now will we?" Hakkai said as they reached the base of the mountain and started their ascent.

They hadn't gone 50 yards before three figures suddenly materialized in front of them. There was a loud squealing sound as Hakkai slammed on the brakes and veered so as not to hit the sudden road blocks, and Chihiro also came to a sudden halt. "Well, hello," Homura greeted them.

"We were wondering when you guys would finally show up," Zenon said looking bored.

"It's amazing how they manage to make any progress at all," Shien included.

"What do you bastards want this time?" Gojyo asked impatiently.

"We've come for the Maten scripture," Homura replied smoothly.

"Like we haven't heard that one a million times," Ran muttered rolling her eyes.

"Well at least he's polite about it," Karin said optimistically.

"Yeah he is…should we give him points for it or just leave it as a nice gesture?" Ran asked sarcastically.

"Girls, stay back," Hakkai told Ran and Karin.

"Why should we?" Ran demanded.

"Something tells me they have another motive for being here," he said seriously.

"I can't help but agree," Gojyo said.

"If we keep getting told to stay back I might just start thinking we are extra baggage," Ran muttered under her breath.

"So why don't we take it into our own hands?" Karin asked grinning.

"I like it when you get into these moods," Ran chuckled. "Onward!!" Chihiro leapt into the center of the fight and Ran and Karin jumped off Chihiro's back to begin the fight themselves.

Karin landed behind Shien while Ran faced off against Zenon. "Normally I don't like fighting," Karin said summoning her sword and breaking it into two separate blades. "But I have some friends I wish to protect."

"Your loyalty is admirable," Shien said pulling out his whips. "I'll be sure not to discredit it by holding back."

"I wasn't able to enjoy our fight last time, so let's have fun," Ran said with earnest.

"Took the words right from my mouth," Zenon said with a laugh.

"What the hell are those two thinking?" Gojyo asked with irritation.

"I'm not sure… but I think our over protectiveness might have triggered it," Hakkai commented wearily.

"That is correct," Homura said, his attention now fully on the four of them. "Those two are learning to stand on their own."

"You aren't going to transform them again are you?" Goku asked worriedly.

"No the last one was just a show," Homura replied.

"Either way we aren't going to let them fight alone," Gojyo declared trying to slip on through.

He was quickly beaten back, however, and Homura continued to stand in their way. "I'm afraid I can't allow that…this is a fight they chose themselves."

"Get out of our way!" Goku shouted going to attack but ended up getting tossed back. "Damn you," he growled.

"He's right though," Sanzo stated.

"What was that?" Gojyo demanded.

"Sanzo…" Hakkai said.

"They chose to fight. Who are we to interfere with that decision? For now we need to focus on the problem sitting right in front of us."

In the meantime Ran was dodging bullets right and left doing everything she could just to keep from getting shot. "I think you were a lot better in the last fight," Zenon taunted.

"I wouldn't really know either way because I wasn't there," Ran retorted frustrated.

"If you don't pick up the pace you won't last much longer…I think you're slowing down even."

"Shut up already!!"

"Ran, cool it would you?" Karin called to her friend making sure not to get distracted from her own fight. She charged her blades up with her chi before releasing them in a double wave.

Shien dodged and the chi shattered the rock wall behind him. "Your speed is quite adequate," Shien complimented as he snapped his whips at her, catching hold of both her weapons. "However, your strength holds much to be desired for." It was all Karin could do to keep hold of her footing and her weapons as Shien pulled on his whips and her arms were soon screaming for release from the tension.

"We'll just see about that," she grated. Then, forcing her muscles past their usual capacity, she was able to snap the two halves of her sword back together. Then she kept hold of it with one hand while the other summoned her chakram. Shien's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Hah!" Karin cried and threw the chakram with full force and deadly accuracy.

Shien vanished and reappeared behind her. "Impressive move…though you're not quite fast enough." Then he brought his hand down toward the base of her neck barely missing as she moved out of range.

"I can't let my guard down for a second," Karin thought keeping her focus.

Ran in the meantime took Karin's advice and calmed herself down…remembering that her anger is a trigger for her berserk mode. She kept dodging the bullets but found that using her hammer as a sort of makeshift shield helped. Finally she made it within range and brought her hammer down with such force that she created a crater.

Zenon reappeared on the opposite end of the newly made hole. "Not bad, your strength is getting better," he praised, cocking his gun. "But you're still slow." Ran took out her mini hammer and threw it at the guy's head. Sadly, he disappeared right before it could hit its mark.

"I'm glad I never…really ticked Ran off. I'd probably have a crater that size in my head," Gojyo muttered unconsciously putting his hand to his head.

"She is getting stronger…and Karin is getting a lot faster as well," Hakkai noted with approval.

"Will you two quit watching your girlfriends and help out over here," Sanzo growled.

They did as instructed and attempted to help out Goku who was attacking Homura with all of his might. The three battles continued on and it was beginning to take its toll on Karin. She needed to end it before she completely ran out of energy. "Your strength seems to be wavering," Shien observed. "Perhaps you would prefer to admit defeat."

"Sorry… but I'm too stubborn for that," Karin said smiling.

"I see, then I have no other choice." With that he attacked, and Karin sprung into action as well. She dodged his attack, rolled, and then threw her chakram. It split into two, he knocked both aside. Then he dodged as one of Karin's blades flew at him. Karin appeared in front of him with her second blade, readying a final blow.

Shien's unopened eyes turned toward her and an instant later he was gone. "Good…you almost landed the hit," he said wrapping his whip around her body.

"Ugh… shoot," Karin whispered as she fought against her restraints that constricted around her like snakes.

"Aw crap," Ran exclaimed seeing her friend in a dilemma.

"Where are you looking at? The battle is here," Zenon said firing of his gun. Ran dodged and decided she was going to end this quickly and cleanly. Using her hammer as a shield she ran forward until she got close enough to him and took a well aimed swing. However, at the last moment he side stepped her attack and caught hold of her arm, twisting it behind her back and pinning her to the ground. "Game, match.'

Homura looked over as the two battles ended and smiled. "Well I think that's enough for today," he said turning away from the rest of the Sanzo party as they lay panting on the ground. He walked over to Zenon and Shien who were still holding onto Ran and Karin. "So are you two ready to go?" he asked the squirming girls.

Karin momentarily ceased her struggles to stare up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I did promise that once you two discovered what you were I would offer you more information," Homura reminded with a smile.

"So what was all this for then?" Ran demanded angrily from her position on the ground.

"Forgive me, but I wanted to see how far you had progressed. You provided quite the entertainment." There was a number of things Ran wanted to say but she bit her tongue. "So what shall it be?" Homura asked them. "Do you wish to learn more about yourselves and where you come from?"

Karin gazed up into his mismatched eyes that reminded her of her own and saw nothing but sincerity. "Yes, I do," she decided. Homura smiled before looking at Shien and Karin felt herself released from her bindings.

Ran heard Karin's reply and heaved a sigh. "Well in that case I might as well come along too," she muttered not wanting Karin to go alone.

"Good…it'll be more fun this way," Zenon chuckled getting off of her.

"You guys aren't seriously thinking about going with them are you?" Goku asked surprised.

"Well…we can learn more about ourselves if we do," Ran said rubbing her sore arm.

"Please understand," Karin pleaded looking straight at Hakkai.

"Do not worry…they will not be harmed…as long as they behave themselves," Homura said reassuringly.

"Hakkai, take care of Chihiro for me, okay?" Karin requested. Hakkai merely nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"We'll drop them back off with you once our business is finished. Until then, safe travels to you all." And with that, the three gods vanished along with Karin and Ran.

"Great if it's only as long as they behave Ran'll be gone within two seconds," Gojyo muttered darkly.

"I'm sure she understands when to keep her temper under control…after all she doesn't know if her actions will affect Karin," Hakkai pointed out.

"Ran must have agreed just so she could get closer to Zenon," Goku said jokingly. "And Karin must have a real thing for Homura…did you see the way she looked at him?"

The atmosphere suddenly became very menacing. "Goku, you really shouldn't joke about things like that," Hakkai said his smile in place but his entire air had suddenly become quite frightening. "You might give the readers the wrong idea."

"That's right you dumb monkey," Gojyo said grabbing his head and shoving his face down in the dirt. "Do us all a favor and keep your commentary to yourself!"

"OW! I was just joking! Lay off!" Goku shouted as his face was ground into the earth.

"They're not going to die so quit worrying. We've wasted enough time thanks to those two so let's get moving," Sanzo ordered as he headed off down the trail.

"We're just going to leave them?" Goku asked once Gojyo let him up.

"You heard them…once they're done they'll be back here. So, quit your bellyaching," Sanzo stated angrily.

"That reminds me… Sanzo I'm hungry," Goku whined. BANG!

* * *

CM: Next time on Fire and Blood.........

Ran: Wow, this place is so big!

Homura: Are you ready to learn more about your origins?"

Karin: Our parents lived with the gods?

Zenon: She was a real firecracker.

Shien: It truly is a shame.....

CM: Stay tuned! ^_^


	16. Of Gods and Angels

_**Of Gods and Angels- Like parent Like Offspring**_

Karin and Ran couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as they stood in the top floor of a great tower. "Welcome to the Tower of Konran. Please, make yourselves at home," Homura said to them as he sat down in a large throne.

"Okay I got to admit…this is pretty impressive," Ran murmured in awe. "So what can you inform us about?"

"You like to get to the point don't you," Homura said smiling.

"Yeah I like to settle business pretty quickly," Ran replied.

At that moment Karin's stomach began to growl cutting through any more conversation. "Hehe…don't mind me," Karin said sheepishly.

"You two must be hungry…allow us to eat before we have our serious conversation," Homura said hospitably.

"Okay," Ran muttered feeling somewhat hungry as well.

In no time it seemed like they were sitting at a table with a wide spread of food. "Wow," Karin exclaimed, looking rather impressed. "They even have cake."

"What's with the big presentation?" Ran asked suspiciously.

"It's not very often I have guests such as yourselves," Homura explained genially. "I figured I should enjoy it as much as possible while it lasts."

"You need to turn the paranoia off once in a while kid," Zenon told her, sipping on some sake.

"I don't suppose you have any Oolong tea, do you?" Karin asked hopefully.

"Of course," Shien answered handing her a cup of the requested tea.

"Thank you," Karin replied happily.

"Wow Shien, it looks like you and the tyke have something in common," Zenon laughed.

"You like Oolong tea too?" Karin asked him.

"Yes, I find the taste quite palatable," Shien replied drinking out of his own cup.

Ran looked at the food for a minute suspiciously but after a couple minutes her hunger got the better of her and she took a bite of the eggrolls. "Wow…these are really good," she admitted sheepishly. "Thanks."

"Yes this food is amazing, and the cake is so…delicious and moist," Karin added dreamily.

"I'm glad it is to your liking," Homura replied. The meal passed quite pleasantly and by the end of it Ran and Karin were pleasantly full.

"I think that's the best I've eaten in… well, forever," Ran said.

"I agree wholeheartedly," Karin sighed. "Arigato, Homura-san!"

"Okay…that was nice. So what was it you wanted to tell us?" Ran asked subdued and very calm.

"Well you'd better come with me then," Zenon said tapping Ran on the shoulder.

"Okay," Ran agreed feeling a lot less impertinent.

"I would like for you to stay here…Karin," Homura added as Ran left with Zenon.

"Yes sir," Karin complied without question. She didn't feel any reason to distrust him.

"Shien, if you wish to stay, you may," Homura said, glancing over at him.

"Thank you, but I'd rather not impose," he said standing up and bowing his head to Homura before leaving as well.

Karin watched him leave in wonderment. "Karin, would you please come share a drink with me while we talk?" Homura requested, beckoning to the chair next to his.

"Yes, thank you," Karin said quickly rising from her seat and sitting beside him.

Homura took his time pouring them both some sake as he watched her closely seeing several similarities between her and his good friend. "You really are a lot like your father," he commented.

Karin flinched. "Please don't tell me that. I don't want to have anything to do with him."

"Do you hate him?" He asked as he handed Karin her cup.

"How can I hate someone I don't even know?" Karin asked after she took the cup with thanks. "He's never been there, ever. He's a complete stranger to me. You've been more of a father to me than he has, Homura-san."

"It makes me happy to hear that…but Setsuna is your father…whether you like it or not," Homura told her honestly.

"I don't care," Karin replied feeling childish but at that moment she didn't care. "He left my mom when she needed him. He let her waste away in her yearning for him. And then he comes back and tells me that I'm not allowed to be with the one person that I…" she broke off in a hiccup.

Homura placed a hand on her head, "He had a very good reason for all of that. He would probably be very angry with me for telling you this, but he really does care about you and he wants very much to protect you."

Karin looked up at him. "How so?"

"A long time ago, Setsuna was not as distant with others as he is now. In fact, you almost represent him as he had been before his decent to earth. As for the reason he left your mother, I believe it was because he was afraid that the people hunting him would end up finding and hurting you both. But he has been keeping a close watch over you for the past several years now."

"But he said my being born was an inconvenience," Karin protested.

"I don't believe that Setsuna ever regretted your existence. Rather, he regretted the type of life he feared would be in store for a child of taboo. After all, he had seen it first hand while watching me."

Karin's eyes widened in realization. "You're… like me?"

"Yes…I am what is called a heretic. A child born from the union of a God and a human," Homura explained. "Because of this I was imprisoned for many years until I was called to take the place of war god. Only then I was used to eliminate all who threatened the Gods."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Karin said sincerely. "It must have been painful."

"I can also understand the anguish you suffer now," Homura continued, stroking her head in a fatherly manner. "You love him… don't you?" Karin's heart ached at the mention of it. "Your father does not forbid the union out of malice," Homura assured her. "He merely wants to prevent you from making the same mistake he feels that he had made. Again, not because he regrets meeting your mother or creating you, but because of the danger he brought upon the ones he loved, and the pain he brought upon himself."

Karin's throat tightened and suddenly she felt very small. "I know that I probably shouldn't," she said hoarsely. "But I can't help it. I can't help how I feel."

"You shouldn't fight it. You will have many complications if you continue to pursue him but the question you want to ask is…is it worth it?" Homura told her quietly.

"I don't even need to ask that, I already know," Karin answered without hesitation. "Just by looking in his eyes, and having his arms around me, and hearing him speak my name. The thought of him not being there feels so empty and meaningless."

"I know exactly how you feel," Homura replied soothingly. "I had someone I cared about. She was taken from me and then all life seemed empty when she was gone."

Karin stared intently at him for a few moments before she leaned over wrapped her arms around him, resting against him as a daughter would to a father. "Thank you, Homura-san," Karin whispered. "Even though you're not my father, I always imagined having someone like you as one."

Homura didn't have the heart to move her and he rested a hand on her head and the other on her shoulder. 'No, Karin. It is I who should be thanking you.' Homura thought. 'If I had ever had a daughter, I don't think I would have minded her being like you.'

"Homura?" Karin said his name in the form of a question.

"Yes?" Homura asked softly.

"Could you tell me more about my dad, the angels, and what life was like in heaven?" Karin asked slowly.

"Of course," He answered kindly.

* * *

"So kid," Zenon spoke to Ran as they strolled down the halls. "What do you want to know?"

"Well the only things I know about my mom are the memories I have of her when I was little. So…I guess what she was like before she met my dad," Ran answered thinking it through.

"Well if that's it then that's easy," Zenon said shaking his head. "She was a lot like you…flighty and said almost everything she thought."

"Really…she was always so withdrawn when I knew her…unless she was protecting us at least," Ran replied with a small laugh.

"She might have settled down after having produced an offspring she knew needed caring for. I don't think she would ever have left you if she had the choice," Zenon said honestly.

'Then why did she?" Ran asked with slight frustration. "Why did she leave with that… with that jerk?"

"Do you have any idea who 'that jerk' really is?" Zenon asked her.

"No," Ran admitted.

"Well you should probably know, before going into a hateful rage. He happens to be Karin's father," Zenon explained watching her expression.

At hearing the news Ran's face went from frustration to surprise and then to shame. "I always thought that I'd get along with him if I ever met him…guess I was wrong about that," she muttered out loud. "That still doesn't explain why he took my mother with him."

"I would have thought your little encounter with the Erasers would have taught you that much," Zenon stated shaking his head. "Those guys were created for the sole purpose of hunting angels. If Setsuna or your mother had stayed with you two, the Erasers might have discovered your existence and corrected it. The only reason they haven't been able to detect you two until recently is because your angel blood was dormant."

"It was dormant?" Ran asked surprised. "When did it awaken?"

"Because the two of you were only half angels your powers didn't manifest themselves until you turned the age of maturation…or nineteen," Zenon explained.

"Nineteen…so that's why we changed after our nineteenth birthday," Ran said remembering how everyone freaked out on their birthdays.

Zenon nodded. "That's right. And ever since you two have come of age, your angelic powers have been emerging. Yours especially."

"You say that almost like it's a bad thing," Ran noted his heavy tone.

"Unfortunately, it would seem you inherited your mother's potential. Even she had difficulties controlling it. The idea of you, a half breed, who doesn't even know how to manifest her wings using it is worrisome."

"Mom had this problem to?"

"Well similar at least…she had more power than she could control and she knew that using too much of it would possibly end her life. With you even a small amount could cause you to run out of control…as you've seen," Zenon explained seriously. "The only huge problem is that you won't stop unless you run out of power or…die."

"So it's not anger then?"

"No, though that does cause you to unconsciously use it."

"So even the slightest bit will…cause me to go…berserk?" Ran asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so, kiddo," Zenon told her frankly.

"Great, so I'm doomed to blow myself up," Ran grumbled.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Zenon said rubbing her head. "Don't tell me you're just going to throw in the towel."

"No, but it's not exactly comforting to know I could end up destroying myself at any given moment."

"So get stronger then, and learn to control that temper of yours," Zenon commanded in a stern voice.

"I'm working on that," Ran declared embarrassed. "I'm also working on getting stronger as well."

"Yeah I could tell…you actually held your breath in an attempt to keep your temper down. Plus, that crater you made was a lot bigger than what you made the last time," Zenon told her.

"Really? Do you mean it or are you just saying that?" Ran asked embarrassed.

"I don't say things just to say them," Zenon told her. "Words are cheap enough as it is."

"Fair enough," Ran said with a grin. "So what did you mean when you said you were almost my dad?"

Zenon laughed. "Kid, I got some stories that would make your hair curl."

"Try me."

*FLASHBACK*

A dark auburn haired youth wandered the halls of the Gods palace searching for the place he had been assigned to. Being an angel he had never been allowed to tread within fifty feet near the building, yet now he was walking through its hall ways. He earned himself several disapproving stares and was sure to keep his eyes averted. He came across a room that was filed with books and, fascinated by the sight, went inside. He had never seen so many books in his life and he loved reading almost more than anything else.

"This is a most interesting surprise," a low kind voice said startling the young man out of his reverie. "Ah…you must be Setsuna. I didn't expect to see you for another hour at least."

"I apologize, Mr. Tenpou," Setsuna replied, contritely bowing his head. "I didn't want to be late so I thought I should arrive early. If you'd like I could leave and come back at the appropriate time."

"Whoa, easy," Tenpou said with a laugh. "It's quite alright. I was just impressed by your enthusiasm. And just because I'm your new employer now, there's no need for such formalities. Just call me Tenpou."

"As you wish, sir," Setsuna replied dutifully.

"Do you like to read?" Tenpou asked having noticed his fascination before.

"Yes sir…more than anything," Setsuna replied glancing up at the bookshelves next to him.

"Then feel free to borrow any book that suits your fancy…as long as they are returned," Tenpou told him with a smile.

"Thank you sir," Setsuna said totally blown away.

"You're very welcome. I can tell just by looking at you that you are a hard worker."

"I always try my best, sir."

"Then I don't think we should have any problems," Tenpou said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now let's get started."

* * *

"Konsen," a young female voice called out playfully.

"What do you want?" Konsen retorted annoyed.

"I have some paper work here from the merciful goddess that needs to be done by the day after tomorrow," the young red head said dropping the large stack of papers on his desk.

"Merciful goddess my a*&^," Konsen muttered staring at the large stack of papers.

"Make sure you get them all done now…you don't want her to come get them herself," she said playfully.

"Hotaru…you'd better get out right now before I kill you," Konsen threatened.

"Gods can't take lives remember," Hotaru said in false seriousness.

"You wanna stake your life on that?" Konzen challenged.

"Geez, you're so uptight at times," Hotaru sighed. "I'm just trying to help brighten your day. After all, you're the one who is always complaining about how boring it is around here."

"I have enough troubles with that damn monkey thank you very much," Konzen retorted attempting to get started on the dull paperwork.

"Oh where is Goku anyway?" Hotaru asked looking around. "I haven't seen him in awhile."

"He's probably bothering Tenpou or playing around the Jade Emperor's palace," Konzen replied irately.

"Okay then…if there's nothing else you need here then I'll go look for him," Hotaru volunteered.

"Just go then…you're wasting enough of my time as it is."

Hotaru grinned and then after saying her goodbyes…very politely…she ran off for the Jade Emperor's palace in search for Goku.

On her way she bumped into a man with short cut red hair and tanned skin. "Well, hello," he said suavely. "It seems that I've been sent an angel."

"Hello, General Kenrin," Hotaru greeted courteously.

"Are you busy? Because if not I know a great place to relax with a nice cup of rice wine," he offered.

"Sorry, but I am a little busy," she told him.

"That's too bad…what's got you busy?" Kenrin asked.

"Well you see I'm searching for a little boy about this tall who has golden eyes and a loud mouth. His name is Goku and he's Konzen's pet monkey," Hotary explained looking around him. "You haven't seen him around have you?"

"Can't say that I have," Kenrin replied. "But if you'd like me to accompany you, I would be more than happy to."

"Your generosity is very becoming of you, but I wouldn't wish to steal you away from any important business that you have. Thank you," She said skipping off before he could further stop her.

"She sure is an elusive one," Kenrin thought with a smile before continuing on his way.

* * *

Setsuna walked down the halls of the Jade emperor's palace carrying an arm full of documents that Tenpou had asked him to deliver. "I wonder if this is really alright," Setsuna thought. "After only just being appointed, is it really alright for me to be here?"

"Nataku!" A kid's voice shouted through the halls. "Are you here?"

"Hey mister have you seen Nataku around here?" a small boy with shackles on his wrists and ankles and golden eyes asked running up to Setsuna. "He's my best friend and I wanted to tell him my name."

"I'm sorry but I don't know who you're talking about," Setsuna replied honestly.

"He's my age and size. Hey if you see him could you tell him I'm looking for him?" the little boy asked earnestly.

"Sure thing," Setsuna promised.

"Thanks mister," the boy called out running down the hall.

Setsuna chuckled before continuing on his way, turning a corner only to have someone plow into him sending his documents everywhere. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "I should have been paying more attention."

"No, no my fault entirely…I wasn't watching where I was going," a young female voice said to him.

Together they picked up the papers putting them together and when they stood up they got a good look at each other. The young woman Setsuna had collided with had long red hair that flowed over her shoulders and down to the small of her back and deep green eyes that one could lose themselves in.

"Hi…I'm really sorry about running into you…I shouldn't have been going so fast. My name's Hotaru by the way…what's yours?" Hotaru asked smiling.

"I'm…Setsuna," Setsuna replied feeling slightly embarrassed.

"That's a cool name. Well Setsuna…you haven't seen a little boy running around here with shackles have you?"

"I'm afraid you just missed him," Setsuna answered apologetically.

"Darn," she said snapping her fingers. She gave him another look over and smiled. He certainly was attractive. She had never seen such a shade of hair color before, and his sapphire eyes were captivating despite their show of uncertainty. "Come on," she said taking his hand. "Help me find him."

"But I have these to deliver," Setsuna protested.

"You can do that later, come on," She said dragging him along.

Together they searched all over until Hotaru spotted him running down a hall shouting Nataku's name. "Hey Goku," she shouted joyfully. He stopped and turned at the call of his name.

"Hotaru…what are you doing over here?" Goku shouted joyfully.

"Looking for you…why are you over here?" Hotaru asked as she caught up to him.

"I'm looking for Nataku…have you seen him?" Goku asked.

"I think he left yesterday," Hotaru told him sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I missed him again?" Goku asked depressed.

"Hey don't worry about it…I'll let you know the moment he get's back okay," Hotaru promised rubbing his head.

"Hey, you're that guy from earlier," Goku said pointing up at Setsuna.

He chuckled. "Yes, and you must be the one I've heard stories about."

"There are stories about me?"

"Yes, you're quite famous around here. Even among the angels."

"Oh, so you're an angel too."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, I'm working under Sir Tenpou now."

"Well, if you know Hotaru and Tenpi then you gotta be cool," Goku decided.

Setsuna turned a little red and thanked Goku for his compliment. "Say Goku I've been given some free time from Konzen…you want to go play some?" Hotaru asked with a mischievous grin.

"You bet," Goku exclaimed happily. "You want to come too, Setsuna?"

"Maybe later, I do still have work to do," Setsuna replied.

"Oh, okay," Goku said looking a little disappointed.

"You're such a wet blanket," Hotaru said rubbing his cheek playfully. "We'll have to change that."

Setsuna stared at her. "And I suppose by 'we', you mean you?"

"Naturally," Hotaru said with a smile. "Come on Goku, let's leave Mr. Setsuna to his work."

"Please…just Setsuna."

"Okay…goodbye then…just Setsuna," Hotaru said playfully running off with Goku.

"These papers are so late," Setsuna sighed heading for where they needed to be. "Those two…I hope I see them again," he thought as a smile spread across his face.

* * *

Several days had passed and Setsuna had grown very comfortable with his new job. Even though he was met with disapproving looks from many of the gods, he wasn't daunted too much by them anymore. It was only natural. Angels were thought to be below gods, and most angels didn't rise to the certain position that Setsuna was in, to work directly under a field martial.

He had been seeing Hotaru quite often now as well and quickly learned the woman was quite the handful. He sighed before closing the book he had been reading and stood up among the field of flowers he had been relaxing in. "I should probably get these back to Tenpou," he thought, picking up the other books he had brought with him and began walking in the direction of the field martial's office.

"I didn't know anyone else would be out here," a slow and deep voice said startling Setsuna into dropping everything.

"I'm sorry…I didn't think anyone visited this place," Setsuna apologized thinking that this was another God.

"It's quite alright…it's nice to see someone else enjoying this field for a change," the deep voice said as the figure bent down to help Setsuna with his books.

Setsuna looked up and saw that the person was not a god, but the heretic that he had heard about. Even the angels spoke about him in dark tones. But Setsuna didn't see a heretic, he saw a kind person. "Here, I apologize for causing you to drop these," he told Setsuna, handing him his books.

"It was my fault, I was so lost in thought that I was startled. By the way, my name is Setsuna," he said with a kind smile.

"It is nice to meet you Setsuna…I am Homura," Homura said introducing himself.

"Is this field yours?" Setsuna asked looking out over the flowers.

"No…but I do enjoy this place. It's the one place I can go and be at peace," Homura answered warmly.

"Well I'm afraid that I must go…but would it be alright if I paid a visit here again?" Setsuna asked politely.

Homura was rather taken aback that an angel was asking his permission for something and at how Setsuna treated him with the consideration that he was not used to receiving. "Yes… that would be fine."

"Thank you," Setsuna said bowing his head in respect. Another surprising gesture. "Perhaps we can talk again if we happen to see each other."

"Perhaps so," Homura agreed, too surprised to say anything else. He watched as Setsuna left, a small smile spreading across his face.

* * *

Hotaru had started hanging out with Goku and his friends whenever possible to ease her immense boredom. She had met with Tenpou a couple times finding him to be a very amusing person, she had also met with Nataku and was glad that he had become friends with Goku. This day she was trying to find Goku as they were playing hide and seek. "Let's see…if I was a little monkey…where would I hide?" she asked under her breath looking all around.

"If you're talking about that lazy general I'd imagine he'd be up in a tree somewhere," a gruff voice told her.

Hotaru turned to see a man with spiky orange hair and an eye patch. "Wrong monkey I'm afraid," Hotaru said with a smile. "Though I never took General Kenrin for a monkey. He's more of a sprite than anything else."

"You're probably right," the man agreed. "What monkey would you be looking for anyhow?"

"Goku…Konzen's pet monkey," Hotaru explained. When she saw the confused look on his face she added, "He's a little kid with golden eyes and shackles."

"Oh that kid…I've seen him around a few times. He's a little rambunctious isn't he?" the man asked.

"Yeah well…it takes away from the boredom around here," Hotaru told him. "We're playing hide and seek so even if you've seen him…asking you would be cheating."

"I guess it would be," the man laughed. "My name's Zenon by the way, I don't think I caught yours."

"That's because I didn't give it," Hotaru replied with a small laugh. "It's Hotaru…in case you were wondering."

"Well Hotaru, if you're ever bored, you should come with me on one of my visits to the world below."

"You don't mean the human world?" Hotaru asked in disbelief.

"That's the one. I know the boredom of this place all too well. So I pay a visit down there once in a while."

"You don't get in trouble for it?" Hotaru asked surprised.

"Nope…because I'm part of the army I get free passage," Zenon explained. "So how about it?"

"Sounds like a lot of fun. I guess it'll depend on whether Konzen will let me or not," Hotaru chuckled. "He's pretty finicky about things like that."

"Well, if you manage to get the permission, don't hesitate to look me up," Zenon said with a smile before walking off.

'Nice guy…' Hotaru thought before heading off to find Goku. Instead, she ended up running into Setsuna. "Well hello Mr. worker bee," Hotaru greeted.

"Hello to you Miss social butterfly," Setsuna returned.

"Where are you headed this time?" Hotaru asked looking at the books in his hands.

"Back to Tenpou…I have to return these books I just finished," Setsuna explained.

"Wow…you must read a lot…those books look huge," Hotaru exclaimed her eyes widening.

"Well it does help to pass the time here," Setsuna shrugged.

"True…it's better than nothing," Hotaru admitted. "Well tell him hi for me okay."

"Sure thing," Setsuna said with a nod. Suddenly a bought of laughter rang through the halls as Nataku and Goku ran right past them and Setsuna quickly stepped out of the way so as not to lose his books. "They're quite the lively pair," Setsuna remarked.

"Ah, so there he is," Hotaru exclaimed, and prepared to go after them but she was knocked over from behind.

"Oh I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to," an elegant voice said worriedly.

"It's okay," Hotaru said brushing herself off. "No harm no foul." She looked up to see a young man with honey colored eyes. His wings were out and they were a dark golden yellow. "Flying practice?" Hotaru asked amused.

"I was actually trying to catch up to war prince Nataku," he replied with a flush, putting his wings back.

"So are you his babysitter or something?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"Not at all," he replied. "Actually I…"

"Mitsu," A blue haired man with closed eyes said appearing from behind him. "Did you manage to find Prince Nataku?"

"My apologies Master Shien, but I lost him," Mitsu said apologetically.

"Looks like Goku isn't the only handful out there," Hotaru said smothering a laugh. "Nataku ran off in that direction," she added pointing to where she saw them disappear. "He's out playing but I don't think he'll get into too much trouble."

"Goku should also be with him," Setsuna added.

"I see, thank you," Shien said before walking past them. "Come along, Mitsu."

"Yes sir," Mitsu obliged.

"It was nice meeting you, Mitsu," Hotaru told him with a smile. "Your name suits you well by the way."

Mitsu flushed. "Thank you," he mumbled.

"Pardon our rudeness. I'm Setsuna and this is Hotaru. Perhaps we should all get together again sometime," Setsuna suggested. "Whenever is convenient for you of course."

"Yeah… sure," Mitsu replied looking rather pleased with the idea.

"Mitsu, you're lagging behind again," Shien called back to him.

"Forgive me, Master," he apologized, running to join him.

"Wow that guy really needs to loosen up a bit," Hotaru said shaking her head.

"Which one?" Setsuna asked raising an eyebrow.

"They both do," Hotaru replied. "Ah well…I have to get Goku so I'll see you later." With that she waved goodbye to Setsuna and ran off.

Setsuna smiled after her before continuing to Tenpou's office, wondering if he would ever make it there at the rate he was going.

* * *

CM: Sa-weetness! Talk about living it up with the gods right? Hehe next time on Fire and Blood..... the gods decide to teach the girls more than just their origins. And the Sanzo party.... aren't doing too hot. Stay tuned!


	17. Take it to the Limit

Take it to the Limit-A Godly Sparring Match

"Wow…I didn't know my mom was so…out there," Ran laughed after hearing the story of how she met them. "Was it really that boring up there?"

"When nothing ever changes…yeah it get's pretty boring," Zenon told her smiling at her expression.

"So what did you guys do when visiting earth?"

"Mostly exploring and enjoying the things in life that actually change."

"Coolness," Ran grinned. "So what else can you tell me about mom?"

"Sorry kiddo, but if you want to go into further detail you're going to have to talk to Setsuna. I think he was closer to her than any of us was."

Ran sighed. "I was hoping to avoid that alternative, but I guess if that's what it takes. And would you quit calling me kiddo?"

Zenon laughed and ruffled her hair. "You are still a kid, kiddo."

"Cut it out," Ran protested but grinned all the same.

* * *

"It's hard to believe that my dad was so… different," Karin marveled once Homura was done with his story. "What made him change so much?"

"That I'm not so sure," Homura told her honestly. "You'll have to ask him that directly."

Karin's shoulders slumped at such a prospect. "But he seems so… unapproachable."

"Don't let his front fool you," Homura told her encouragingly. "As I said before, he cares for you. And he will speak with you if you merely ask it of him."

"I guess I can give it a try," Karin mumbled. "One more thing…. Do you know where I could find Shien-san? I want to ask him a few things."

"He should be over at that balcony you showed so much interest in," Homura told her.

"Thanks Homura-san," Karin said bowing to him before running off for Shien.

"Oh Setsuna…if you could only see how much she resembles you," Homura mumbled to himself, thinking back on those happier times.

"Shien-san…Homura-san said I'd find you here," Karin called out as she spotted him standing on the balcony.

"What do you wish to speak to me about?" Shien asked without turning around.

She tentatively walked up to stand behind him. "Well, you were there when Ran's and my parents were around, right?"

"I'm afraid that anything Homura has told you is the extent of my own knowledge," Shien replied. "I doubt I could provide you with any further information."

"Homura-san mentioned something about how one of their friends worked under you," Karin said. "Was his name by any chance Mitsu Bishi?"

A strange look came over Shien's face but vanished just as quickly. "Yes…Mitsu Bishi did work under me. How do you know him?" Shien asked.

"Ran and I ran into him a few weeks ago," Karin explained.

"Really…how was he?" Shien asked.

"He seemed to be doing well. He was kind and welcoming toward us despite our being half-breeds," Karin explained happily.

"I see…he always was the chivalrous type," Shien agreed emotionless.

"He told us most of what we know about angels now. He even showed us his wings," Karin continued remembering their encounter.

"What color were they?" Shien asked suddenly.

"They were almost a pale yellow," Karin answered after a moment of thought.

"Interesting," Shien murmured. He tried to recall the face of the awkward boy that had served under him so ardently. The soft, brown eyes that would always be seeking approval from others. 'Mitsu… what has become of you since your descent from the heavens?'

"Shien-san?" Karin asked curiously, afraid that she might have said something to offend or anger him.

"Yes?" Shien asked turning toward her.

"You know, you're a really cool guy," Karin said smiling.

Shien was taken aback by this unexpected compliment but showed no sign of it. "Thank you," he replied easily.

"It is late so unless you want to return to your friends now you are welcome to spend the night here," Homura said coming up behind them. "Ran has already been shown to her room by Zenon…so if you'd like to join her Karin you are more than welcome to."

"Sleep actually sounds good right about now," Karin agreed with a small yawn.

"Then would you lead her to the accommodations, Shien?" Homura asked.

"Of course." With that Shien left with Karin following after him and she called out her farewell and once again her thanks.

"This will be your room for the night," Shien said once they reached the room.

"Arigato, Shien-san."

"You are welcome," Shien said before turning to leave.

"Shien-san? Um… I was wondering if you could indulge me in a sparring match tomorrow. You're a really good fighter and I was hoping you could give me some pointers."

"We shall see," Shien answered as he continued down the hall.

* * *

Karin walked into the room after her farewell to Shien and found Ran sitting on one of the two large beds. "Hey Karin you really should feel these beds…they're so…luxurious," Ran said sprawled out on her own.

Karin ran forward and belly flopped on the untaken bed. "Oh wow… it's like laying on a cloud," Karin said rolling from side the side testing the bed out. Kmj5

"You know, I'm almost tempted to request a prolonged stay."

"Aw, but I'm kind of worried about the guys though," Karin said.

"Me too…I guess I'm just really enjoying myself here. I know these three almost killed us…and them but I guess it's hard to stay too mad when my mom was such good friends with them," Ran said staring at the ceiling.

"I know what you mean," Karin said thoughtfully, rolling on her side and cuddling with one of the pillows. "I hope the guys are managing."

"I'm sure they're just fine," Ran assured her.

* * *

"Move over dumb monkey," Gojyo's voice grumbled through the darkness of the cave.

"I hardly have any room as it is," Goku complained.

"This was the most comfortable spot I could find and I'm bigger than you so move over."

"I was here first," Goku shouted shoving Gojyo over.

"I don't care monkey," Gojyo replied angrily.

"Shut up both of you or I'm going to shoot you," Sanzo shouted at them.

"I understand why the girls wanted to leave," Hakkai thought whimsically.

"Just move over a little bit stupid monkey," Gojyo continued…ignoring Sanzo.

"I said no," Goku shouted back.

*BANG* "Shut up I'm trying to sleep over here." Suddenly there were a lot of loud screeches and the room became filled with little black winged animals.

The guys screamed before they were chased out of the cave and into the windy maelstrom they had been hiding from by a hoard of bats. "You two are idiots," Sanzo shouted at them.

"US? You're the one who fired the damn gun off in a cave full of flying mammals!" Gojyo shouted.

"Calm down everyone…I'm sure they're gone now so we can go back into the cave," Hakkai shouted over the storm for the others to hear while Hakuryuu clung to his shoulder.

"I want to go back in too," Goku agreed running back into the cave while Gojyo and Sanzo stubbornly fought it out.

* * *

"That has to be the greatest sleep I've ever gotten in my life!" Karin exclaimed as she sat up in bed the next morning stretching. She glanced over to see Ran appearing to be dead to the world. Karin took her pillow and threw it at her. "Hey Ran, wake up!"

"I am awake…I just don't want to get up," Ran called out her face glued to her pillows.

"Come on…we might get some sparring matches with Shien, Zenon, and Homura today," Karin told her hopping out of her bed…with some trouble.

"Hmm….fine," Ran muttered pushing herself up. "That was so comfortable though…I doubt we'll ever sleep like that again."

"I wonder if we'll get breakfast," Karin wondered hopefully.

"Only one way to find out," Ran said dragging herself out of the soft bed and getting up. The two got dressed for the new day before stepping out of their room and into the expansive hallway.

"Do you remember which way goes where?" Karin asked her.

"Not a clue…let's explore while we're here," Ran suggested with a grin.

"I don't know," Karin said uncertainly. "They might get mad at us."

"Eh…it's their own fault…they didn't tell us that we couldn't," Ran pointed out mischievously.

Karin's mouth broke into a smile. "True… alright let's go." The two of them wandered around for a bit seeing just how large the tower was. They passed by a few people who had chakras on their foreheads like the three gods did.

"Is everyone in this tower a god?" Ran speculated.

"I dunno," Karin replied. "It's possible."

"Well I doubt we'd see any demons in here at least," Ran muttered glancing around.

"Something tells me that we should have taken a left turn back there," she added after seeing no other place to go in that direction.

"Wait there's a door there," Karin said pointing toward the seemingly blank wall in front of them. "Okay then let's see what's behind door number one."

Karin ran over and pushed the door open. She stared in awe when she saw that it was a large room that was made completely of stone marble and in the center was a large circle of white sand that took up most of the room. "Wow, I wonder what this room is for," Ran asked looking around.

Karin walked over and bent down taking a handful of sand and letting it sift between her fingers. "Wow, it's softer than your typical desert sand."

"Really?" Ran asked coming up behind her. She bent down as well and felt the sand. "Heh…maybe this is the stuff that fills those mattresses," Ran suggested with a laugh.

"Not quite," a deep voice said walking into the room. The two girls spun around to find Homura standing at the door.

"So what is this stuff used for?" Karin asked inquisitively.

"That sand you see is very special," Homura explained. "It provides remarkable traction and makes well for soft landings."

"So… is this some sort of training room?" Karin construed.

"That is correct. Which is just as well. I heard from Shien that you wished for some guidance on your skills of combat." Karin nodded eagerly.

"I admit it would be nice to have some training…" Ran agreed peering around the room in admiration.

"Good…then shall we begin?" Homura asked warmly.

"Yeah let's get moving," Ran agreed enthusiastically.

"Um could we get some breakfast first?" Karin asked as her stomach growled loudly.

"Of course…we'll eat out here if that's alright with you," Homura consented.

"That's fine," Karin said compliantly. "And thank you."

* * *

"So hungry," Goku groaned, dragging his feet as they marched over the rocky trail.

"Would you stop talking about food, you dumb monkey?" Gojyo snapped irritably.

"But I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday morning," Goku whined.

"If you recall, none of us have," Hakkai reminded. "There's not much to forage for on this mountain and we've yet to see anything passable for a meal." A sneeze arose from the kitten he was carrying in his arms. "And poor Chihiro must have come down with something last night."

"The sooner we get to the other side of the mountain, the better," Sanzo muttered.

Suddenly there was a small growl and everyone looked at Goku. "That wasn't me I swear," Goku said holding up his hands for protection.

"If it wasn't you then who was it?" Gojyo muttered glaring at Goku.

"Maybe those hungry mountain lions have something to do with it," Hakkai suggested. The others looked up at the cliff behind them and saw to their dismay a pack of mountain lions barring down on them.

"This just isn't our day," Gojyo groaned. Then the pack descended down on them forcing them to run for it. They managed to escape the lions after a several minutes of running but found that they had strayed off the trail quite a bit.

* * *

In the middle of their breakfast, Karin and Ran glanced up to see that Shien and Zenon had joined them. "What do you have to report?" Homura asked.

"It would seem the Sanzo party have not yet made it to the other side of the mountain," Shien reported.

"The guys are slower than a turtle with its legs broken," Zenon commented.

"Are they alright at least?" Karin asked.

"They seem to have just escaped a large group of mountain lions," Shien informed.

"Wow…that just isn't there day is it?" Ran asked shaking her head.

"They do seem alright…though it appears the cat may have caught something along the way," Zenon added. "A cold from the looks of it."

"Poor Chihiro," Karin murmured.

"Well then, let us get started on your instruction so that the two of them may be returned to them all the sooner," Homura announced standing up.

"Right," Karin said setting aside her empty plate.

"Bring it on," Ran said determinedly.

"First up will be Karin," Homura decided.

"Alright…let's see that speed of yours in action," Zenon said walking onto the field. "I won't go easy on you."

"Good," Karin said pulling out her chakrams and taking a stance.

"Don't get hit now," Zenon said getting his gun ready.

Karin brought out her sword and chakram and she was ready. "Begin the match," Homura declared. Zenon decided to make the first move and began firing away.

Karin preformed and dodge roll before taking off around the arena. As Homura had stated, the sand provided amazing traction so it did not slow her down in the slightest. Deciding that aerial attacks would not be suitable for this type of opponent, she decided to try the more direct approach. Using her speed she ran straight at him, dodging bullets and deflecting some with her sword. Once she got close enough she took a swipe only to have him jump backwards. She propelled herself right after him, determined to get a good blow.

"Where are you aiming?" Zenon asked as he turned up behind her plowing his fist into her side. "You've got good speed…just don't over estimate yourself."

Karin got back up and stared straight at him. "Right," she said. Then she ran at him quickly trying hard to hit him but he always moved away at the last moment.

"Mind if I cut in?" Homura said blocking her next attack. "Now show me how Setsuna's daughter fights."

"I'll try not to disappoint you," Karin replied.

Zenon reappeared outside of the ring, leaving the two of them to have at it. "Is it me… or does that kid keep getting faster?" Zenon asked Shien as they watched Karin fight Homura.

"No… I believe you're right," Shien agreed. Karin waited until Homura was ready before attacking.

"Allowing your opponent to prepare himself, that's quite admirable of you," Homura observed as he parried her blow. "However, it can also cost you dearly."

"I hardly think it's fair otherwise," Karin responded, jumping back.

They kept exchanging blows for some time until Karin saw Homura twitch in an unnatural way and took that chance to make an attack. It only took seconds but she had moved from in front of him to behind him and left behind a large cut across his chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Karin said noticing the wound she had left.

Homura stood up and in a flash held his sword to her throat. "It is that naivety that will get you killed. When in a battle you must attack with all that you have or your life will be forfeited. You're father learned that the hard way."

Karin's heart pounded irregularly as she stared up at him and she swallowed. She felt rather shamefaced and wished she could look down but the sword's position prevented her from doing so. "When you are fighting an opponent and your goal is to defeat them, you attack without mercy. No matter who it may be. Do you understand?"

"Yes, forgive me," Karin apologized. Suddenly she did a back bend and Homura blinked before dodging out of the way just in time before two chakram blades came crashing down where he had been standing.

"That's better," Homura complimented. Suddenly two light whips came out of nowhere landing right next to Karin and almost hitting her.

"I believe it's my turn now," Shien said appearing in the ring. Then Homura disappeared and reappeared next to Zenon and Ran.

"She almost got you that time," Ran pointed out with a laugh.

"That she did," Homura concurred with a smile. Karin meanwhile was determined not to make the same mistake she made last time.

"It seems you'll be getting your wish. I hope you're ready," Shien told Karin.

Karin gave a small smile. "Well if I'm not, then that's my own fault isn't it?"

"How very insightful," Shien commented before attacking.

Karin broke apart her chakram and threw both pieces to give herself enough time to unlock her sword into separate blades once more. "Alright, let's try this again," Karin thought.

She went on the offence once more dodging Shien's attacks and darting toward him moving as fast as she could to reach him. Shien saw her coming and easily avoided her attack countering with a strong blow of his whips. "Good try, but your speed must increase a little more," he said shortly.

'I can only go so fast,' Karin thought to herself. Then she had an idea. She couldn't speed up in the next minute, but she might be able to slow him down. It was a long shot, but she might as well give it a try. She had to prove to herself that she could hold her own in battle, even if it was against a god.

Charging her weapons with her energy, she sent a double shockwave in Shien's direction, kicking up dust in the process. She used the cloud as a cover to get up close and attack but once again, before she could land the blow, he disappeared and then reappeared behind her. She tumble rolled out of the way before the whips could snag her, but she lost both of her blades in the process so that she was left with only her chakram.

"That was good…next time land it," Shien told her emotionlessly.

Karin looked up at him from her crouching position and stopped when she spotted something unexpected. "Your eyes… are filled with such regret," she said slowly.

Shien's face looked slightly surprised at these words but turned to self disapproval as Karin turned up behind him with a blade to his neck. "That's match…very good Karin," Homura said clapping his approval.

"That was awesome Karin…good job," Ran exclaimed thrusting a fist into the air.

Karin lowered her weapons and bowed her head. "I'm sorry if I said or did anything that might have been offensive. I know I tread where I probably shouldn't have."

"It is your job to take every opportunity you can to win…as your opponent I should not have let anything you said get to me," Shien cut in quickly not looking at her. "It merely shows that your understanding is growing. Do not be sorry for a battle won."

"You really are a cool guy," Karin replied happily. "Thanks for the battle."

Shien nodded in acknowledgement and as Karin ran off the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. "I hope I'm making some progress," Karin stated once she had reached the edge of the arena.

"You are making quite a bit, actually," Homura stated. "Now it's Ran's turn to show us what she can do."

"Bring it on," Ran exclaimed getting excited about her upcoming battle. "So who's first?"

"If you have no objections, I will be your opponent this time," Homura told her.

"That's just fine with me. It really doesn't matter," Ran replied with a grin.

"Shall we then?" Homura beckoned to the field, allowing her to step in first.

Ran went onto the field and almost immediately turned to face him so her back wasn't exposed. "Are you ready to begin?" Homura asked suddenly.

"Yeah let's….oh hold on for a second while I tie my shoes," Ran replied smirking.

"It's good to have confidence but too much and it's as deadly as those with naivety," Homura explained patiently.

"Noted."

"Good, now let's see it applied," Homura said using his sword to send a wave of fire in her direction.

Ran's face tightened with the tenseness of battle and she dodged to the right and attempted to rush him from the side. Unfortunately she didn't count on the fire turning mid attack and nearly got plowed over by it.

"That hammer of yours slows you down…try to find a way to keep it from putting you at a disadvantage," Homura commanded loudly.

"I got that…but how am I supposed to…" Ran thought as an idea struck her. Quickly she put her hammer away and sprinted toward Homura rolling and jumping as his flame continued to attack. Somehow she managed to bypass his attacks and get in close.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Homura asked bringing his sword down to attack. Ran didn't answer but dropped to sweep his legs and then with him off balance she jumped up, brought out her hammer and brought it down.

Homura got his footing back and he disappeared as her hammer came crashing down, spraying up a cloud of dust. "A very useful maneuver," Homura complimented from behind her. "Strength means nothing if you cannot hit your enemy. You must learn to be light on your feet as well." He turned and began walking away.

"Hey, I'm not done yet," Ran said picking up her hammer and began charging but was tripped by the crack of a whip.

"I'm your opponent now," Shien told her, blocking her way to Homura.

"Oh crap," Ran thought remembering how much trouble Karin had with him. "Speed really isn't my forte." She quickly put away her hammer, however, preparing to fight with everything she had. She quickly found that with her current speed she could barely keep herself from being hit much less find an opening for a hit. "Note to self if I ever get stuck in a fight against someone who's really fast…let Karin take care of him," Ran thought as she barely dodged another barrage of attacks. "I can't even get close to this guy." She took a few calming breaths while keeping Shien off her back and started thinking of a way to get to him. "Okay…I don't have any long range weapons so that's definitely out…what if I dislodged his footing from here? How would I do that though? Um….wait after every barrage he pulls them back and prepares for another assault…what if I made my move then….if I'm fast enough it should work."

Ran watched carefully to Shien's movements as she continued to dodge. She waited until she saw his whips retract, and that's when she attacked, summoning her hammer she swung it down and created a shockwave that caused the entire pit of sand to shudder catching the blue haired god off balance. Seeing her opportunity, Ran sprung forward preparing to use the ax side.

As soon as she got close enough she swung it down hard but controlled…like Homura he vanished before she could connect. Shien reappeared behind her and before Ran could get her bearing, his whip wrapped around her ankle pulling it out from under her. Ran nearly landed on her face but used her hammer to keep her off the ground. She then pulled out the pocket knife from her shoe and loosened the whip enough to release herself.

"You seem to be getting better at using your head," Shien commented.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," Ran said rubbing the dirt from her eyes.

"You always have to question what everyone gives you," Zenon said stepping in. "Sorry to cut your fun short, Shien, but I'll take it from here."

"Do as you wish," he replied before disappearing and reappearing close by Homura and Karin.

"I've been looking forward to this one," Ran muttered excitedly picking up her hammer and slipping her pocket knife back into her shoe. "You'd better not go easy on me…it might just cost you."

"Oh don't worry…you won't be getting any special treatment," Zenon assured her smiling. "Just make sure you show me your true strength."

"Right," Ran said grinning.

Then Zenon started the match by firing his gun at her which she dodged after putting away her hammer. "I've seen that too many times already…you'd better come up with something new here." He fired just behind her several times before all of a sudden changing to firing just in front of her. She slid to a halt and pulled out her hammer to block the few shots that she couldn't dodge then she ran toward him making sure to keep her footing and not get hit by the bullets.

Ran suddenly turned towards him and went in for an attack. "I told you, the same trick won't work," Zenon told her appearing behind her.

"Didn't intend it to," Ran said pivoting and she threw her small hammer at Zenon's head.

He dodged at the last second having not expected it and then to his surprised Ran immediately slammed her war hammer against the ground causing it to shift and made him sink up to his thighs in the ground. Then Ran kept her hammer just above his head. "How about that…was that different enough?" she asked with a large exhausted grin.

"Heh, nice work kiddo," Zenon congratulated, pulling himself out of the sand. "But you really should invest in a long ranged weapon."

"I'll make a note of it somewhere," Ran promised.

"Wow, Ran, you were amazing! I didn't know you were packing such muscle," Karin complimented.

Ran glanced around the arena and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Ooops…sorry about that…I didn't think I'd cause that much damage," Ran murmured embarrassedly.

"You used an attack without understanding what it would do?" Zenon asked surprised.

"Well I was expecting it to throw you off balance and give me enough time to get in place for an attack…the sinking part was kind of an added bonus," Ran admitted.

"You both did very well," Homura told them. "I'm sure your parents would have been very proud."

"Arigato, Homura-san, Shien-san, Zenon-san," Karin said bowing to each of them.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch," Ran agreed.

"Mind, you both have a long way to go and much still to learn," He reminded them.

"That means no getting cocky," Zenon added.

"Hai!" They both chorused.

As they were getting ready to leave Homura stopped Karin for a moment. "By the way, I believe this belongs to you," Homura said placing something around her neck.

Karin stared at the necklace for a bit before turning to him. "How did you get this?" she asked amazed.

"That happens to be a secret…but let's just say that it fell into my hands," Homura answered good-naturedly. "Come on…I'm sure your friends are worried about you." Karin nodded her agreement and followed him out.

* * *

CM: Next time on Fire and Blood....

Goku: Huh? Karin's brother?

Karin: Who's Cho Gono?

Hakkai: Not again....

CM: STAY TUNED!


	18. De javu

Deja vu-Haven't I been here before?

After the Gods returned them to the Sanzo party, the two girls said their farewells and the Gods left to do who knows what. "Hey guys we're back," Ran called out when she spotted the group.

"Yep and we're both in one piece," Karin added happily.

"What happened over there?" Gojyo asked looking at her face for any signs of abuse.

"Let's see…we had dinner…we talked about our family…then…oh yeah we had a couple sparring matches. Nothing else happened really," Ran said shrugging.

"We also slept in these amazing beds…it was like sleeping on a cloud," Karin added dreamily. "Oh I almost forgot…where's Chihiro…is she okay?"

"She's feeling a little under the weather," Hakkai told her apologetically, cradling the small kitten in his arms. Karin took Chihiro from him and hugged the kitten against her. "I'm sorry, we got caught in a rainstorm," Hakkai apologized sincerely.

"It's not your fault… I didn't think we'd be gone for that long," Karin told him. "I'm sure you did the best you could."

"Just curious…how was the rest of the trip?" Ran asked after watching Karin's reunion with Chihiro.

"Let's see…we haven't eaten since you left, we didn't get much sleep thanks to Sanzo firing off that gun of his and waking up the local bats, and then we got chased down the rest of the way by hungry mountain lions," Gojyo explained sarcastically.

Ran gaped at them for a moment looking at their bedraggled clothes and then snickered. "I'm sorry but…wow how did you manage to get into all that trouble?" Ran asked trying very hard to hold in her laughter.

"An off day perhaps," Hakkai suggested.

"Well, I'm not sorry we missed that," Ran said honestly.

"But we did miss you guys," Karin added.

"So they didn't do anything to you?" Goku asked. They both shook their heads in answer.

"That a relief, we were beginning to get worried," Hakkai admitted with a light smile.

"Speak for yourself. Now if you're all done with your little reunion I'd like to get as far away from this accursed place as possible," Sanzo grumbled.

"What's the matter, Sanzo…did you not enjoy your little trip through the mountain?" Ran asked poking at him.

"No…now shut up and let's get moving already," Sanzo replied more ticked off than usual.

"Wow, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"There should a village not too far ahead," Hakkai informed them.

"Yay food!" Goku rejoiced.

"Hehe, I really did miss this," Karin said with a giggle.

"It really wasn't the same without you two around," Gojyo told them with a smirk.

"Same here," Ran said.

"Yeah, we'd rather travel with you guys than live in the lap of luxury any day," Karin said sincerely.

"Oh sure rub it in," Gojyo muttered walking ahead.

"Oh don't worry, Gojyo…I'd choose sleeping on the rocky ground to beds that feel like clouds any day," Ran continued pushing on their already pressed buttons. "Plus, I wouldn't want to spend everyday with Zenon and his really cool and funny stories that involve my mom."

"Do you know how old that guy probably is?" Gojyo asked feeling a bit ruffled.

"Oh I know. But with age comes maturity. Plus, he's probably one of the coolest guys I've met."

"You talk as if you're in love with the guy."

"Maybe I am."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Hakkai laughed before turning to Karin. "What about you? You haven't gone and fallen in love with a god while you were away, have you?"

Karin laughed. "Well, Homura did have nice eyes..."

"Come now…you're not going to start acting like Ran, are you?" Hakkai asked shaking his head.

"You didn't even let me finish. He had nice eyes…but I like yours better," Karin continued with a smile.

"That's good to know," Hakkai breathed relieved by her answer.

"Hey you two weren't really wanting to stay were you?" Goku asked worriedly.

"No way Goku…you guys are way more fun," Ran spoke up immediately.

"It's a lot more eventful with you guys around," Karin added smiling.

"Yeah…besides…if we did stay there I'd get bored way too easily," Ran continued shaking her head.

"So do we get to hear what all you learned during your stay with the gods?" Hakkai asked.

"Let's get a hotel first and we can talk about it over dinner and drinks," Karin said.

"Sounds like a plan," Gojyo agreed.

"Yay food!" Goku cheered.

"Whatever," Sanzo muttered.

"What's got your robes in a bunch?" Ran asked him.

BANG! "Shut up and keep walking."

"Why the heck did you shoot at me!?" Gojyo shouted.

* * *

When the party arrived in town that afternoon they managed to find a nice inn with six separate rooms. "Cool…I get my own room. That's a first," Ran grinned when she heard how many were available.

"We all get our own rooms…it'll be nice to have some privacy for a change," Hakkai acknowledged.

"Alright…I'm going to have lots of eggrolls and…" Goku shouted not interested in the number of rooms as he listed off all the foods he'd be eating.

"Is food all you ever think about?" Gojyo asked rubbing the top of Goku's head.

"No…I think about other things too," Goku declared.

"Really…then name two," Gojyo challenged.

"I think about how stupid you are," Goku countered.

A vein twitched in Gojyo's forehead. "Why you little…"

"Haha, good one Goku," Ran laughed.

"Well let's get settled in so we can appease Goku's stomach," Karin suggested.

"That's something yet to be achieved," Sanzo remarked sarcastically.

The group picked their rooms and got the keys to each before heading out for the tavern…and dinner. The tavern they went to was a good size and the food looked descent. They chose a table away from the doors and windows and waited for the waiter to come.

Almost as soon as they got their menus Goku ordered just about everything there, Gojyo…the same, Hakkai got Pot stickers and Tiramisu, Sanzo got beer and whatever he could steal from Goku and Gojyo, Karin ordered Sushi, and Ran got some noodles and juice.

Over dinner, Karin and Ran conveyed everything they had learned from their stay. "So, your parents used to live up there with the gods huh?" Gojyo murmured in amazement.

"It almost makes you wonder just how long angels can live for," Hakkai stated.

"I wanna see your guys' wings," Goku said through a mouthful of food.

"We're not even sure if we're even going to get those or not," Karin told him.

"Yeah, after all, we're only half breeds," Ran pointed out.

"It doesn't matter what you are…if you have them you have them if you don't you don't," Sanzo grumbled cutting through their conversation.

"Hey buddy, watch where you're going!" The group turned just as a young man bumped into a body builder on his way to the counter.

"This looks like trouble," Gojyo muttered.

"Maybe it would be best not to get too involved," Ran reminded him softly.

"Sorry, you're so freakin huge it was hard enough not to get plowed over by you. Tell me, what steroids have you been living off of? Are you compensating for something?"

"Why you… I'll break every bone in your body!"

"That voice…"

SLAM! The body builder landed flat on their table causing it to collapse. "MY FOOD!" Goku wailed.

"Wow…nice shot," Ran exclaimed impressed. "Hey buddy…I guess this just isn't your day to bump into people. Goku here really hates it when someone makes him lose his food so I'd start running if I were you," she added looking down at the guy on the floor.

"You ruined my dinner," Goku growled as she finished. "You are so dead."

"Gah! Leave me alone," The man said getting up and running out.

"Get back here!" Goku shouted wanting to go after him but Hakkai held him back.

"Easy, now. I think he learned his lesson."

"Sorry about the disturbance," A dark haired man with bluish hazel eyes said walking up to them.

Karin's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Kano nii-san?"

Ran looked up at the mention of the name and after a few seconds grinned. "Kano, wow looking good. It's been awhile hasn't it?" she asked standing up and looking him up and down.

"Karin…Ran…I'm surprised to see you two here," Kano said looking at the two of them. "Wow you guys sure did grow…I guess I can't call you two shrimps anymore, can I?"

"Nope…we're not the little midgets you remember," Ran declared laughing.

"Nii-san!" Karin said throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"Geez, get off of me. We're in public," Kano said prying her off of him. "I can see you haven't changed."

"Neither have you, you're as cold as ever," Karin said sticking her tongue out at him. Then she remembered. "Oh, I haven't introduced you. Everyone, this is my big brother, Kano."

"Oh this is one of your brothers?" Hakkai asked smiling. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Kano…have you ever heard of the Sanzo party?" Ran asked seeing the strange look on his face.

"Yes of course I have," Kano replied brusquely.

"This is them…Gojyo, Sanzo, Goku, and Hakkai," Ran explained pointing to each in turn.

"Not exactly what I expected," Kano said with a small laugh. Then he looked at Hakkai. "So… Hakkai was it? I hope you've been taking good care of my little sister. She's the only one I've got, you know."

"We haven't let any harm befall her," Hakkai told him holding back the thing about her being part demon.

"Good…cause I'd have to pay you back for everything that you didn't protect her from," Kano replied with a smirk.

"Give him a break Kano…we've been through a lot out here. Even if we did get into trouble it wouldn't have been his fault," Ran cut in shaking her head. "Honestly you really are too harsh sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry buddy," Kano told Hakkai.

"It's fine," Hakkai replied, though Karin noticed he looked the slightest bit unsettled.

"Well, I need to get back to my own thing. So I guess I'll see you guys around."

"You're leaving already?" Ran asked him.

"Hey, I have a life you know." As he passed by Karin, he said. "Karin, why don't you come with me? Then we can catch up."

"Well it has been a long time," Karin mumbled. "Hey guys I'll catch up with you later okay."

"Alright…have fun, stay safe, and don't talk to strangers," Ran called out snickering.

"Oh haha," Karin said rolling her eyes.

"Just let me know when you get back alright. I've got a hanckerin to beat you at Mahjong," Ran said smiling.

"Like you could."

"We won't know till we try huh."

Karin laughed and waved goodbye before heading out the door. "I'm surprised you didn't go with her," Gojyo commented.

"Eh…she needs some time with her brother….just like I did with mine," Ran replied grinning widely at him.

* * *

Karin followed her brother out of the tavern and the two walked in silence for quite some time. "You're rather quiet," Kano noted. "Is something bothering you?"

"I guess you could say that," Karin replied.

"Care to share?"

"I suppose, but could I ask you something first?"

"Shoot."

Karin stopped and looked at him. "You're not really Kano… are you?"

"Heh…you're pretty bright. I figured it'd take a little while longer for you to realize what was wrong," Kano said smirking. "Say anything out loud though and he and your other two brothers die."

"What have you done with them?" Karin demanded angrily.

"The other two are tucked safely away in our home. This one we use for delivery purposes…such as yourself," Kano replied as he lead her into an alleyway between two of the buildings.

"If you hurt them, I swear…" Karin began.

"We're not interested in them, I can assure you… rather, we're only interested in you and your lovely boyfriend, Cho Gono."

"What are you talking about?" Karin asked. "His name is Cho Hakkai…. And he's not my boyfriend," she added reluctantly.

"That's not how we see it. We've been watching your group for the past week and it's obvious just how much Cho Gono cares for you. It is surprising that he didn't tell you what his old name was though….cause of course he changed it after that incident," Kano explained smiling. "You are going to be the perfect way to get back at him for slaughtering our cousins."

"Like I'd help you!" Karin yelled.

"You don't have any choice in the matter," Kano said, grabbing hold of her in a vice grip and forcefully covering her face with a cloth. A terrible smell filled her nostrils and she realized what he was doing too late. Her vision blurred and then went to black.

* * *

Later that night Ran was hanging out in her room setting up the pieces for a game of Mahjong…whenever Karin got back of course. As she set the last piece down Hakkai opened the door and walked in. "Hey Hakkai what's up?" Ran asked without glancing up.

"Has Karin come back yet…it's getting pretty late?" Hakkai asked looking around.

"No she hasn't come back yet," Ran admitted slowly. She glanced up at Hakkai hearing the worry in his voice. "I'll go look for her," she said suddenly standing up. "She's probably on her way back right now." "I just hope THAT didn't happen," she thought to herself remembering how off Kano felt.

"I'll come with you, if you don't mind," Hakkai told her. Ran nodded in understanding. The two were about to leave when suddenly the shattering of glass rang through the night as something crashed through the window and attacked.

Hakkai immediately put up a barrier blocking the attack and Ran stared through it trying to get a glimpse of who and where their attacker was. As his barrier disappeared Ran spotted the attacker in front of the window grinning like he had just won the battle.

"What's got you all confident?" Ran demanded pulling out her hammer.

"Heh…you're really going to get it Cho Gono," the demon replied grinning.

"Sorry but there's no Cho Gono here…if that's who you're looking for you've got the wrong place and should look somewhere else before I kill you," Ran replied noticing the slight tension that started emanating from Hakkai.

"You might not want to do that, since I happen to know where your little friend is," the demon said smirking.

Ran lowered her hammer in surprise and Hakkai's eyes widened. The door burst open and Gojyo, Goku, and Sanzo appeared. "We thought we heard a ruckus going on," Gojyo said walking in.

"Good the gang's all here," the demon said smirking. "Now listen closely Sanzo party…Cho Gono. That little friend of yours is located in a castle on the mountain north of here. If you want her back you'll have to go all the way up there to see her."

"What about Kano?" Ran asked worriedly.

"All three of those weakling brothers are there…if you're worried about them. They're alive and unharmed…for the most part."

"Just who the hell are you?" Gojyo demanded.

"I'm part of a demon clan who is cousins with the Yakugan Mao clan that your friend there slaughtered."

"So why not come after me directly?" Hakkai demanded, his face becoming a dark mask. "Why involve Karin or her family when it's me you want?"

"Easy…because we're going to do it to you again. The last time your woman was raped and impregnated right? Well guess what…you're going to lose your woman again to that same treatment. I wonder how long she'll keep her sanity," the demon chuckled.

"You touch even one hair on her head and I'll kill you," Hakkai threatened.

"You're not the only one who'll be getting a piece of these guys. I'll destroy anyone who hurts my friends," Ran declared brandishing her hammer again.

"Yes, that's just the type of reaction I'd expect from you, Cho Gono," The demon taunted. "I wonder… are those the same eyes you had when you killed my cousins?"

BANG! The demon fell to the floor in a dead heap. "We have to go after Karin!" Goku exclaimed.

"No," Sanzo said putting his gun away.

"Sanzo!" Goku exclaimed.

"Its way out of our way and it's just a big pain in the ass. She's tough, she can get herself out."

"Not if they're holding her brothers captive, then she won't," Ran told him.

"I'm not changing my mind," Sanzo stated firmly.

"I'm sorry, if that's the case I won't be joining you," Hakkai said darkly before walking past Sanzo out of the room.

"I won't be either. Hakkai I'm coming too," Ran stated following him out the door.

"Well if she's going then there's no way I'm staying behind," Gojyo said going as well.

"Sanzo…I want to help Karin," Goku said looking at Sanzo for a long time.

"Do what you want," Sanzo muttered lighting a cigarette. "Hakkai's love affairs have nothing to do with me."

"How can you say that after everything she's done for us?" Goku demanded hurt. "She's helped us out so many times…and now when she's in trouble you're just going to turn your back on her?"

"It's not my problem," Sanzo said not looking at him. Goku's face fell but he said nothing more, knowing it would do no good.

* * *

When Karin opened her eyes she was in some sort of large chamber. She felt so disoriented and her vision wasn't as clear as she would have liked. She shook her head a few times, forcing her mind to focus itself. She tried remembering what had happened. She remembered seeing her brother, walking with him, speaking with him… that's right. Her brothers were in danger! She sat bolt up right as if suddenly awaking from a nightmare… or more accurately, she had woken to one.

She had woken up in a large room that was filled with lizard like demons. "Well so sleeping beauty has finally awakened. It's about time…we've been waiting," the largest of them all said sitting at the very head. "Welcome to our humble home. The main event should begin shortly when Cho Gono arrives with his friends."

"His name isn't Gono, it's Hakkai," Karin retorted vehemently. "And if you think that holding me hostage is going to help you get to him you're wrong."

"You'd be surprised," the demon said with a grin. "This isn't the first time he's had his lover taken from him. Or has he not told you about that?" Karin hesitated. It was true… now that she thought about it, she didn't know all that much about Hakkai's past.

"By your expression I'll take that as a no. Very well, I'll take the time until Cho Gono arrives to tell you all about it," the leader said chuckling. "You see your 'Hakkai' was called Cho Gono a few years ago. During that time he was in love with a woman named Kanan. At that time our cousin clan attacked his home and took his woman…making her their own."

"Stop it, I don't want to hear this from you," Karin cried out sadly.

"Gono took it upon himself to attack the clan himself….he slaughtered over a thousand demons that night becoming a demon himself in the process," the leader continued. "But all that blood shed didn't do a thing for him. His dear Kanan took her own life afraid of the child she had inside of her."

Karin stared horrorstruck. Never would she have imagined Hakkai having such a horrible past. What was worse was, she had to learn it from a demon and not Hakkai himself. "So you kidnapped me… to get your vengeance on him." It was not a question.

"That is correct. When he gets here, we will capture him and make him regret he was ever conceived."

"If you touch him…" Karin said, her breathing becoming heavy in order to control herself. "I'll kill you myself."

"You won't be able to even touch us…don't forget your brother's lives are in our hands," the leader laughed maniacally. "Hear that…sounds like they're here. We'll see just how long it takes to take him and kill the others."

He looked over at two of the demons. "Bring her brothers up here so that she may be reminded not to get any foolish ideas." They nodded before leaving. Then he looked back at Karin. "And after your dearly beloved is finished, you'll be remaining with us for some time to come."

Karin wanted to cry, she was so frustrated and angry. But she refused. She would not give them that satisfaction. "Hakkai…" she thought, "Please be careful."

* * *

Meanwhile Sanzo and Goku had left the village in a subdued silence, Chihiro in Goku's arms…as she was still ill. Suddenly a huge boulder fell from the sky and landed right in front of them. "Prepare yourself Sanzo party," a loud annoying voice shouted.

Then Kougaiji, Dokugakuji, Yaone, and Lirin appeared on top of the boulder and stared down at them. "Wait a second…what happened to cherry top, ham ham, Monocle guy, and flower girl," Lirin asked noticing that the others were gone.

"What did happen to my brother?" Dokugakuji asked curiously.

"Why are you traveling with only the monkey now?" Kougaiji asked annoyed.

"None of your damn business," Sanzo muttered.

"Karin was kidnapped by this clan of demons who's after Hakkai," Goku told them earning a hit on the head with Sanzo's fan.

"I can tell you look after your comrades very well, Sanzo," Kougaiji said with sarcasm dripping on every word.

"They're not my comrades," Sanzo shot back.

"You don't mean the clan that lives up north?" Dokugakuji asked.

Goku nodded. "I think so."

"Lord Kougaiji… should we perhaps help them?" Yaone asked.

"We don't have a reason to go picking a fight with the lizard clan," Kougaiji told her. "Fighting these two would be a waste of our time…let's go…we'll wait until they have all of their crew back."

"Brother…you're not going to ditch your girlfriend are you?" Lirin demanded with false disappointment.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"What were those flowers for then?"

"You know they're still on the table Kou," Dokugakuji added thoughtfully.

"And they're still alive too," Yaone piped up.

"Will you stop bringing that up?" Kougaiji demanded.

"Haha! Kougaiji, you got flowers from a girl?" Goku asked pointing and laughing.

"There have been rumors that a Sanzo priest disappeared in that region," Dokugakuji murmured. "It's possible that the clan picked up his scripture."

"Very well, we shall see if the scripture is there." Kougaiji said before marching off in the direction of where they had parked their sky dragons.

"Come on Sanzo…let's go too," Goku pleaded.

"No we're not going anywhere," Sanzo said taking out his lighter. He flipped it open but found that it didn't work. Sanzo gritted his teeth and put his lighter away. "Fine we're going…but only so I can get a light from that damn water sprite," he agreed to Goku's excitement. "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

"I appreciate both of you for coming with me," Hakkai told Ran and Gojyo. "But are you sure you want to be here?"

"Dumb question," Ran stated simply.

"We're staying whether you like it or not," Gojyo told him. "If nothing else to keep you from doing anything stupid."

"Besides I promised Auntie that I'd look after Karin while on this trip. Backing out now would be breaking that promise," Ran explained smiling.

"Thank you," Hakkai replied.

They reached the castle a few moments later and went through the front door prepared for anything that might come out. "Okay this is weird….I figured we'd have quite the welcoming after that threat…how come no one's here?" Ran muttered looking around the empty front room.

"Kyou!"

"I hear you, Hakuryuu. They're watching us right now," Hakkai said steping forward. "I don't suppose you would all like to come out now, since it's me you've been waiting for, isn't it?" Several laughs suddenly erupted from the shadows and the three watched as demons began crawling from the shadowed ceiling and down the walls to the floor.

"Great…so they're all lizards," Ran groaned watching them swarm like vultures to a carcass.

"Lizards or not…we're going to slaughter them," Gojyo said smirking. "You ready Hakkai?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Hakkai replied his voice still cold.

"Die…Cho Gono!" the demons shouted jumping forward to attack.

* * *

"Here they are," the lead demon said grinning evilly. Three demons walked into the room dragging behind them Karin's brothers who were beaten bruised and bloody.

Karin's heart twisted at seeing her brothers in such a state. She had wanted to find her brothers again, but not like this, not at this price. "You monster…" Karin whispered. "Let them go!"

"Now why would I do that…if I didn't have these three here it would have been a lot more difficult to get a hold of you," the leader replied. "Besides if I let them go now what would be keeping you here?"

"You have no right to do this," Karin muttered angrily.

"I really don't care. I have them…I have control over you and I'll shortly have Cho Gono. Everything is going according to plan," the leader declared triumphantly. "You should learn to pay better attention to those around you…you might learn something important about them."

Karin thought to herself… did she really not pay that much attention to Hakkai? She knew that he had been hiding something but, she never brought it up for fear of reopening old wounds. "Really though, you were truly foolish to get involved with him. I never thought he would have room in his heart for another after his last one," the demon continued. "He was probably using you for his own entertainment."

"Don't you dare insult him," Karin said heatedly. "Hakkai isn't that type of person."

"Really…has he ever told you his feelings?" the leader asked. "By the expression on your face I'd say he has yet to. After his last lover killed herself he hasn't been able to open up to anyone. He has no room for you in his shattered heart."

"Don't say that…he cares about me," Karin declared angrily.

"I know…if he didn't care he wouldn't have come to get you. Caring and loving are two completely different things though."

"But then…. Why did he kiss me that night?" Karin thought.

Looking back, that day seemed so far away, yet at the same time she could remembered it as vividly as if it had happened only yesterday. Had it really been just an accident on his part? How long had she been waiting for an answer? How long would she continue waiting?

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" The demon asked though he already knew the answer. Karin refused to look at him, instead, she stared at her brothers. They appeared to be alive, if nothing else. And for that, she was thankful.

"Alright then…the fireworks have started and Gono and his friends have entered the gauntlet. It's time boys for us to have our fun," the leader announced to all the demons in the room. They all whooped and hollered their delight and some of them started playing with Karin's unconscious brothers.

"Stop… stop it, you're hurting them! Haven't you done enough to them?" Karin shouted.

"If you don't like it then call for Gono to come help you," the demon leader said.

"I won't," Karin told him flat out.

"Then you leave us no choice," he said. "Just remember that their suffering will come from your stubbornness."

* * *

CM: Will the Sanzo party be able to help Karin in time? Or will she suffer the same fate as Hakkai's first love? Stay tuned to find out! And please review if you can. ^^


	19. An Angel's Pain

**An Angel's Pain-When Dreams Become Reality**

Hakkai doubled over as his old wound suddenly began to throb painfully. "Hey, man, are you alright?" Gojyo asked him after beating back a demon who had attempted to take advantage of Hakkai's distraction.

"I'm fine," Hakkai told him quickly.

"I hate to break it to you guys but we're not getting anywhere here…every time we slice one two more pop up in it's place. If this keeps up we'll be over run by these demons," Ran broke through. "Do you guys think you can hold out a little longer?"

"We need to get through," Hakkai said urgently. "I don't know what it is… but something tells me we're quickly running out of time."

Ran thought for a moment. "In that case, you two go on ahead, I'll take care of them."

"Like hell you will," Gojyo told her.

"I can do this…Gojyo…I haven't been hurt yet so if I use _that,_this fight should be over in no time. The only problem would be if I turned on you two afterwards. Besides Hakkai is right we need to get through as soon as possible…and that's the fastest way," Ran insisted.

"Are you sure you want to do that Ran?" Hakkai asked her seriously. Ran nodded, her face determined.

"Geez, I guess if you're that determined, then I won't stop you," Gojyo muttered. "But you had better hurry up and catch up with us."

"No problem," Ran told them. Hakkai blasted them a pathway to the stairs and he and Gojyo ascended them while Ran stayed behind.

"Okay…I'm not sure how I'm going to do this but if I remember right an angel's voice can be a powerful weapon. I just hope this works," Ran thought to herself looking at the sea of demons. She took a deep breath opened her mouth and started singing the most creepy and gut wrenching song she could think of. It worked…the demons grabbed their ears in pain and fell to their knees in agony. As she sang she felt something well up inside of her and she slowly started to lose control of herself.

* * *

"This is it," Kougaiji muttered as he and his group reached the front door to the mountain castle.

"Right let's go save brother's girlfriend," Lirin shouted running through the door. As they entered they saw to their surprise demon bodies all over the place and Ran flying through the air picking them off one by one with a face that clearly said she was having way too much fun.

"Oy…you four. You look pretty strong…care to try out my skills?" Ran demanded hovering a few feet off the ground. "These demons were all too weak to even give me a little work out. I think I'll have a lot more fun against one of you."

They all stared at her. Her body was glowing with some strange aura and she had dark, blood red wings on her back that appeared to be purely made of energy. "Hey, it's Hamham!" Lirin said pointing.

"Lord Kou…" Dokugakuji began.

"I know… I always wondered what was up with those two," Kougaiji stated ominously.

"So what's it going to be?" she demanded staring at them all.

"You will die," a demon shouted jumping at her back.

Ran didn't even turn around…instead she moved her hand to her back and with no effort at all turned him to dust. "So answer me already."

"Aren't you here to save your friend?" Dokugakuji asked her.

"Heh, I'm just here to see what my power can really do," Ran replied.

"You disgust me," Kougaiji muttered. "Fine, if you plan on getting in our way…"

"Easy, Kou," Dokugakuji stopped him. "She's obviously not herself."

"We don't want to fight…we just want to keep heading up," Yaone cut in quickly.

"Tch…you're no fun. Fine the stairs are that way…but once I finish with these losers I'll be picking someone else to fight with…and it might be you," Ran muttered disappointed. She then went back to the demons that were left over.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the second floor Gojyo was fighting off the demons himself, having insisted that Hakkai go ahead of him. "Man, this is a pain," Gojyo muttered.

"Having troubles, little bro?" Gojyo turned to see Kougaiji's group.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Gojyo asked. "As if we didn't have enough problems."

"We heard from your monkey friend that you guys were having trouble keeping hold of your buddies, and that the group that took one also killed a Sanzo. We came here to see if hey had a scripture," Kougaiji clarified.

"Yeah and brother couldn't ditch his girlfriend," Lirin added laughing.

"She is not my girlfriend," Kougaiji grumbled knocking Lirin on the head.

"At any rate you look like you could use some help," Dokugakuji said pulling out his sword to fight.

The battle continued with Kougaiji's group destroying demon after demon and Gojyo wiping out several himself. "Hakkai's going to need some help so why don't you guys go on ahead…I can finish up these small fry," Gojyo said after most of them had been eradicated.

"If you're sure," his brother said.

The group left Gojyo to finish off the job and once he was done he exhaled. "Guess I better go check on Ran. I just hope she didn't overdo it."

* * *

On the fifth floor he ran into some major problems. He was already exhausted from the battles on the other three floors and he now had to fight another large group of demons. "I don't have time for this," he muttered irately.

"This is as far as you go Cho Gono," the demons shouted rushing him.

Suddenly there was a barrage of gunshots and several of the demons fell dead on the floor. Hakkai looked up in time to see Goku soaring down upon the hoard with a battle cry.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm relieved to see you both," Hakkai said sincerely, looking at Sanzo who was reloading his gun. "By the way… how did you get up here so quickly?"

"The rest of the floors are being taken care of so we just slipped past," Sanzo explained.

"Yeah…and we saw Ran on the first floor…she has these blood red wings now," Goku exclaimed excited. "They looked really cool."

"So she was able to obtain her wings?" Hakkai asked surprised.

"Yep," Goku replied plowing his staff into several demons sending them flying back.

"Hakkai if you want to get to your girlfriend in time you'd better get moving. Goku and I will finish up here," Sanzo said firing off another few rounds.

"Thank you," Hakkai told them with undying gratitude.

"Save it for when we've gotten out of here," Sanzo told him gruffly. "Now go."

"Right," Hakkai nodded and ran to the stairs.

* * *

Karin covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming as she watched her brothers being tortured. She couldn't take much more of this.

"So are you going to call for him yet?" the leader asked enjoying the pain on her face. "I'm not sure how much more your brothers can handle without dying."

Karin covered her face to keep from seeing the damage the demons were inflicting. She was weeping so hard her eyes were swollen red and her face was sticky with wet salt. She would rather die than see her brothers being torn apart piece by piece.

The demons laughed all around her as her expression worsened and her brothers groaned in pain. It stopped all at once though, as Hakkai burst through the door and killed a few demons in one fell swoop.

"Ah, so the guest of honor finally arrives," the leader laughed derisively. "So, Cho Gono, I can see that the years haven't change you at all. Still killing countless demons all for the sake of a single woman."

Hakkai ignored his comment and looked at Karin's distraught face. It really hurt him to see her in such a state. "I refuse to allow you to hurt Karin any more," Hakkai stated angrily as he raised a hand to attack.

"Don't be so hasty, Cho Gono. If you attack now, you'll only be the cause of their death," the leader threatened as he pointed toward the three men on the floor.

Hakkai saw them and it was clear that the three were only barely managing to hang on. And he knew it was because of him. Karin was suffering because of his mistake, because she was traveling with him. He should have left her with her aunt when he had the chance, but instead he had clung to her. Worse yet, he had been so unobservant as to allow her to fall into the hands of these demons. As he was distracted he suddenly felt steel pierce him from behind and one of the demons ran him through with a spear and buried the head into the ground so that he was stuck.

"Hakkai!" Karin screamed. "Stop, please don't kill him!"

"Oh don't worry, his death will not be a physical one. His spirit will shatter as he relives his past all over again. Except this time he'll be here to witness what becomes of his woman first hand," the leader cackled as Hakkai was choking up blood. The leader took a hold of Karin's arms and pulled her into him. "Look on in despair, Cho Gono, as you will never be able to have this." And he started pulling at Karin's clothing as he attacked her neck.

Karin's eyes fell on Hakkai who was struggling to pull himself up as his blood continued to drip onto the ground. He looked up at her, eyes flooded with pain and apology and regret.

Then all at once her anger at these demons exploded and her limiters shattered. The next thing the demons knew Karin had gotten to her feet with pointed ears, longer nails and sharp teeth, and tattoos on the right side of her body.

Hakkai watched as she once again became her demon self, her aura throwing the leader across the room. "Not again," he thought sadly. "I can't let her go through with this."

The demons were all stunned to see her having transformed. "You… what are you?" The leader demanded from the floor. Karin slowly lifted her head to stare at them with mismatched eyes, and several of them unconsciously backed away. Then slowly she opened her mouth.

Hakkai's ears suddenly started ringing with a sound, beautiful and terrible at the same time. "Karin…I 'm sorry I couldn't help you."

* * *

When Sanzo and Goku made it to the top of the stairs, they reached a large set of double doors. From the sounds of carnage going on, it was more than likely Karin and Hakkai were inside. Sanzo pushed the doors open and his eyes widened at the sight that met them.

Inside he and Goku saw demon bodies lying all over the place, blood splattered the walls and in the center stood Karin covered in blood and in her demon form. Off against one of the walls they spotted three young men identifying one as her older brother. And finally they spotted Hakkai stuck to the floor by a spear. "Hakkai!" Goku shouted running up to him.

"Since when did you become totally helpless?" Sanzo demanded.

"I truly apologize for this," Hakkai chuckled painfully. "Could you help me out of this though?"

"No problem," Goku exclaimed as he attempted to grab a hold of the spear shaft.

Just before he did so, a gun went off and Hakkai shouted in pain as the bullet struck just above the spear head, snapping it free. "Now you can take it out, stupid monkey," Sanzo muttered.

Goku nodded and yanked it out. "Goku, next time do it more gently," Hakkai groaned holding onto his side. He then got to his feet and pointed over toward the three unconscious men. "Sanzo, please take them out of here and leave Karin to me."

"But Hakkai, you're already injured. What can you do like this?" Goku asked worriedly.

Karin meanwhile was holding the demon leader against the wall by the throat. "You… what kind of abomination are you?" he gasped out. Karin did not reply with words. Instead she began slashing him up with her free hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Sanzo asked.

"Yes… this is my fight, my responsibility. I have to see this one through alone."

"If that is your decision, then fine. But if you fail, I have every intention of ending it myself."

"Thank you," Hakkai said getting ready as Karin turned her attention to him. "Please, go now. And see what you can do for those three."

Sanzo and Goku adherred to Hakkai's wishes and Sanzo grabbed the youngest looking one of the three while Goku heaved the other two over his shoulders. "We'll be waiting for you, Hakkai," Goku called to him before he and Sanzo left.

"Alright, Karin, it's just you and me now," Hakkai said in a low voice, one hand grabbing his wound.

Karin dropped the demon leader and he could do nothing but lie in a bloody heap on the floor, moaning. Then she began making her way towards him, eyes made purely of killer's intent.

"I didn't want it to come to this," Hakkai murmured. Because of his injuries, there was no plausible way for him to go up against Karin and not die in the process. That left him with one option. "But it looks like, that dream I had wasn't just a dream afterall." He reached up and pulled off the three cuffs on his left ear. "But I don't intend to let the ending remain unchanged." He closed his eyes and let the demon transformation take over.

* * *

At that time Kougaiji and the others managed to reach the fifth floor where Sanzo and Goku were. "Hey Sanzo... Goku. Have a fun fight?" Ran called out from Gojyo's back. "Wow... this place is huge. I wonder how high the ceiling is."

"What's the matter with Ran?" Goku asked as he put the two he was carrying on the floor.

"She's just recovering from a little power trip," Gojyo told him.

"Just exactly what are those two?" Dokugakuji asked.

"I'm not sure you'd believe us if we told you," Gojyo replied.

"We still have one more floor to go," Kougaiji roughly reminded.

"Unless you want to die, you'll stay right here," Sanzo stated as he let the person carrying rest on the floor next to the other two. "Woman, think you can do something to keep these three alive?" He said to Yaone.

"I suppose I could..." she said but looked at Kougaiji to see if he approved of this idea.

"I don't care if you help them," Kougaiji muttered. Yaone nodded and bent down next to the three and started the healing process. He turned to Sanzo and demanded, "What reason do we have to stay here?"

"Because Karin's become a demon again and is fighting with Hakkai," Goku spoke up.

"It's his own fight and I'll shoot anyone who tries to interfere," Sanzo stated.

"That girl's a demon?" Dokugakuji asked in surprise.

"It's a long story," Gojyo said.

"She's just like me!" Ran shouted excitedly. "Well, not just like me, she's got demon blood too now..."

"Shut up, Ran, they don't need to know that," Gojyo hissed.

"But it's funny," Ran laughed.

"Just be quiet," Gojyo sighed.

"I don't care what you do, but as soon as he's done I'm going to find the scripture," Kougaiji declared leaning against a wall.

"Looks like we're stuck waiting down here," Dokugakuji murmured looking around.

Gojyo turned to Sanzo, "I didn't think you'd show."

"I had my reason," Sanzo replied. "By the way... give me your lighter."

"Not a chance... besides with Ran on my back I can't reach it," Gojyo answered as Ran continued with a little jingle she had started singing.

"Can't you shut her up?" Kougaiji asked annoyed.

"I think she's funny like this," Lirin piped up happily.

"Yaone isn't there anything you can do to shut her up?" Kougaiji demanded. Yaone nodded and slipped something to Ran making her pass out. "Finally some peace."

They waited there for quite awhile waiting for the fight to end. After several long moments of listening to Gojyo and Goku fight and Sanzo constantly getting them to stop, Kougaiji finally got tired of it and moved toward the exit. "There's no sign of the scripture anywhere, and it looks like you don't need our help," he muttered as he walked away. "Yaone, Lirin, Dokugakuji, let's go."

"But brother, we should stay and help," Lirin cried.

"We're leaving Lirin. This is their problem," her brother retorted.

"Kou...I'll stay behind," Dokugakuji offered. "After all, they have three unconcious people to coarry out of here once they're finished."

"I'm really worried about Karin," Goku spoke out loud.

"Don't worry, Hakkai's not about to let anything happen to her," Gojyo said in an attempt to cheer him up.

"After seeing this one, I doubt that," Kougainji muttered as he motioned toward Ran.

"What did you say?" Goku demanded.

"You saw it didn't you? The look in your eyes tells me that the way she is now scared even you," Kougaiji stated. He then turned to Dokugakuji and said, "If you're going to stay, then stay. Just make sure you get back in one piece. Don't go risking your life over this bunch. If they die, it's because they were a lot weaker than I thought."

Dokugakuji nodded and Kougaiji left with Yaone and Lirin.

"Stupid prick," Gojyo muttered.

"Give him some credit," his brother said frowning. "He didn't have to come here or let us come for that matter."

Gojyo saw some truth to these words and sighed, shifting the unconscious Ran on his back to ease the weight.

* * *

Meanwhile...Hakkai was still fighting against Karin and it seemed like nothing he said or did was having any impact on her. There had to be some way to snap her out of it. Some way to end this without bringing his nightmare to reality.

Then an idea came to him and he took a deep breath. "Karin... I realize what I've been doing to you all this time, and I'm sorry. I should have done this a long time ago," He thought. Then he dodged her attacks, got in close, and pinned her against the wall. She fought back viciously but Hakkai held her in place. Karin opened her mouth to sing, but Hakkai quickly covered it with his own.

Suddenly Karin had stopped struggling and her body had gone lax. 'This feeling...' a voice in the back of her mind whispered. 'I've felt it before... so warm... like the sun after a long rain.'

When Hakkai pulled back, he spoke in a low soft murmur. "You've been waiting for an answer, right? Well, you don't have to anymore. I'm here now... I won't leave you." Karin's eyes widened and a single tear fell from her left blue eye. "I love you... Karin."

Karin embraced him happily and when they came apart, Hakkai saw that wings had appeared on her back. They were a dark, midnight blue, beautiful and breathtaking as the nighttime sky. As he watched, her demon ears and nails shrank back to normal and the tattoos disappeared from her skin.

Awareness returned to her eyes and she stared at Hakkai in his demon form taking everything in, right down the vine tattoos on his body. "So beautiful," she murmured out loud.

"Are you not afraid?" He asked her. She took one of his hands and placed it against her cheek, relishing the soothing warmth that came from it.

"Not at all," she answered.

"Good," Hakkai said smiling. "I don't know how long your control with last because you don't have you limiters on…so I think it would be better if you weren't conscious for when I bring you to see Sanzo. I'm sure he can fix it."

Karin nodded in understanding and he moved his hand from her cheek onto her temple area and released some of his chi. She went limp and Hakkai caught her. He gently laid her on the floor as he went back to where his limiters lay and put them back on. Then after he was back to normal, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her out of the chamber.

"Hakkai!" Goku shouted joyfully upon seeing him. "Is Karin…?"

"She's fine," Hakkai assured him. "She's just sleeping."

"So what are you going to do about her limiters?" Gojyo asked him.

"I was actually hoping Sanzo could take care of that little detail," Hakkai said turning to the priest.

Sanzo glared at him but stood all the same and placed his hands on her wrists making her two bracelets reappear. "I don't plan on doing that again," Sanzo warned.

"Well now that Karin's back to normal let's get out of this dump," Gojyo said lifting Ran onto his back again.

"You…won't…get out…alive," a deep voice gasped menacingly. Turning around they spotted the demon leader dragging himself after Hakkai. "I set off the castle's defense system…in 5 minutes time this castle will collapse and with five people to carry you won't make it." As he finished his statement the castle rumbled and bits of the ceiling fell.

"Let's get moving already," Dokugakuji said picking up two of Karin's brothers while Goku grabbed the last one.

The group made their way down doing their best to avoid chunks of ceiling that was crashing down around them. "Hurry up slowpokes," Sanzo barked at them.

"Easy for you to say… I don't see you carrying someone on your back," Gojyo shot back.

"Look there's the exit," Dokugakuji shouted as he dodged several blocks from the ceiling. The others saw the light and headed for it determined to make it out, but their hope was dashed as a piece of the ceiling fell in front of the door blocking their exit.

"Great, now how are we supposed to get out?" Sanzo grumbled.

"Hey maybe the monkey can eat our way out," Gojyo suggested.

"I don't eat rocks," Goku shouted at him.

"This really isn't the time for your jokes Gojyo," Hakkai said looking around. "We have to find a way out."

Suddenly the rock from the entrance was blasted away and the guys were blinded by a bright, golden light. Once it died down, they saw a male with blonde hair and pale yellow wings standing in front of the entrance. "You want to be crushed? Hurry up and get out of there!" he commanded in a sublime voice.

No one argued with him and immediately ran through the door and out of danger. "I don't know who you are but thanks for the help," Goku said setting Karin's brother on the ground.

"It was my pleasure…besides I wasn't about to let the daughters of my two best friends become crushed in a demon's castle," the young man replied.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be an angel as well?" Gojyo asked suspiciously.

"That's right. It'll probably be better if we get these people to a village before anything else happens."

The party decided that his suggestion was probably for the best.

* * *

As they traveled on foot due to their extra load, Karin stirred awake in Hakkai's arms. "How're you feeling?" He asked her.

"Good," she mumbled softly. "I didn't hurt you… did I?"

"No…you did some major damage to those demons though," Hakkai replied kindly. "You saved your brothers as well."

"And you saved me…thank you," Karin stated simply.

"You're wrong…you're the one who saved me."

Karin felt warmed by his words, and even more so when he bent his head down and kissed her tenderly. "Ew…" Goku said sticking his tongue out distastefully.

"Get a freaking room," Sanzo muttered.

"Hey, if I can't get any action than neither can you," Gojyo told him.

"Even if Ran was awake Gojyo I doubt you'd be getting any action," Hakkai retorted.

The young man leading the way wore a disapproving face that he kept hidden from the rest. "A demon and an angel should never be together," he thought to himself.

"Dokugakuji… could you do me a big favor?" Karin asked him.

"I suppose that depends," he replied looking uncertain.

"Could you stick around for a bit? I need you to deliver something for me."

"What would that be?" Dokugakuji asked feeling like he knew the answer.

"A token of my thanks," Karin replied shortly.

"Sure…I don't mind sticking around for a little while longer," Dokugakuji said amused.

"Thank you," Karin said happily. "Hakkai… you don't have to carry me anymore if you don't want to. I can walk."

"No it'll probably be bad for you to walk on your own right now," Hakkai stated worriedly. "Besides…I quite like this arrangement."

Karin laughed, "Well…if you insist."

* * *

CM: Yay! Mitsu saves the day. And aw, Hakkai is accepting his feeling for Karin. Mitsu doesn't seem too pleased by it though, could he have other motives for remaining with them...or are we just trying to get you to look into it too much? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Fire and Blood. And please review. ^_^


	20. A New Course

A New Course- The Troubles of Two Half Breeds

Once they all reached a village they had the four unconscious people settle into beds. Ran ended up sharing a room with Karin while they placed the three brothers in another room. Then Sanzo had to share with Hakkai and Gojyo…to his great displeasure…had to share one with Goku…again. The young man they met sat on the roof waiting for those unconscious to wake up and Dokugakuji stayed at the bar trying to pass the time.

"There you are," Karin said popping up out of no where.

"You sure are chipper after all that's happened," he noted mildly.

"Well, it certainly wasn't a picnic, but everything turned out fine," she said optimistically.

He sighed. "You said you wanted me to deliver something, right?"

"Mm!" Karin said with a nod before handing something long and wrapped up. "Thank you for all your help. I'll never forget it."

"Sure," he said smiling. He got up, bid her farewell, and left for Hotu castle.

After that, Karin went back to the inn and looking up, spotted the blonde boy that had helped them. "Oi! Bishi-kun!" she called happily, waving at him.

"Karin…feeling better I see," he replied spotting her and coming down to see her. "How are the others doing?"

"My brothers are recovering really well…I'm very happy," Karin replied with a relieved sigh. "Ran's still sleeping…I think. She must have had quite the work out."

"Actually we had Yaone give her something to knock her out," Gojyo said stepping out the door. "I don't know what it was but it worked wonders."

"Oh, Gojyo, have you met Bishi-kun already?"

Gojyo burst out laughing and Mitsu closed his eyes. "Karin, you can feel free to call my by my given name."

"Eh? But you're so pretty Bishi-kun," Karin told him.

"Careful Karin, or you might make Hakkai jealous," Gojyo told her smirking. "So who is this guy anyway?" Gojyo asked gesturing at Mitsu.

"This is Mitsu Bishi. Ran and I met him when we went to the south to find out what we were. He explained most of what we know now," Karin explained introducing the angel.

"It is a pleasure to meet the famous Sanzo party. I'm glad you were all able to get out of there without much trouble," Mitsu said smiling warmly.

"Well, I guess we owe you one for helping us out of that tight spot back there," Gojyo said in thanks.

"It was no trouble," Mitsu assured him. "As I said before, I would have felt terrible if anything would have happened to Karin or Ran."

"Because they're your friends' kids right?" Gojyo clarified.

"Of course," Mitsu assured him.

"Oy…Gojyo. How did I get here? What happened back there?" Ran called out from her window after spotting the group. "Oh Karin great to see you're alright. How're your brothers doing? Did everything work out okay?"

"Everything worked out great," Karin informed her cheerfully. "And look, it's Bishi-kun! He came and helped us out too."

"Sigh… its bad enough Hotaru called me that all the time," Mitsu thought dismally.

"Oh I was wondering if that was you. Thanks for the help Mitsu," Ran said grinning. Ran climbed out the window and leapt to the ground landing lightly on her feet. "So what did happen after you and Hakkai left the first floor?" Ran asked scratching her head.

"You don't remember what happened after your berserk mode ended?"

"Nope not a thing."

"To be honest, I don't remember that much about it either," Karin admitted.

"You two, I swear," Gojyo muttered.

"It's not their fault," Mitsu said. "After all, Ran's condition is unique, while Karin's is simply unheard of. But perhaps if they come to the village something can be done for them."

"Say Mitsu how far is it from here?" Ran asked curiously.

"I'd say about a day or two away," Mitsu replied after a moments thought. "At least by how your group travels. It would take only a couple hours if you flew."

"We could head over there on Chihiro," Ran muttered thinking out loud.

"If we did that though we'd end up leaving the guys behind," Karin pointed out.

"There's no way you two are leaving after that last fiasco," Gojyo said putting his foot down.

"I wouldn't dream about going anywhere without you guys…it's no fun," Ran assured him. "I was just thinking about how much faster we'd get there if we went on Chihiro."

"I'd like to make sure my brothers are okay before we go anywhere, if that's not too much trouble," Karin told all of them.

"Of course," Ran told her. "Besides, I want to catch up with them too."

"Then, would it be alright if I lingered until we've reached the village?" Mitsu asked politely. "It will be infinitely easier if you had a guide."

"Would that be okay?" Karin asked Gojyo.

"I don't really care…the problem will be convincing Sanzo to go along with it," Gojyo answered shrugging his shoulders.

"That won't be much of a problem…we just steal his smokes and refuse to give them back until we reach the angel village," Ran said triumphantly.

"The only thing you'll be accomplishing is getting shot at," Gojyo said shaking his head.

"Well, I suppose if worse comes to worse, Ran and I'll will just have to rough it alone," Karin said simply.

"You won't be alone…I'll be with you every step of the way," Mitsu said reassuringly.

"I don't care if Sanzo goes or not but I sure am," Gojyo said.

"You won't be going without me either," Hakkai said stepping from the inn. "By the way Karin your brothers have started to wake up."

"Great, I'm going to go see them," Karin announced. She gave Hakkai a small kiss on the cheek and said thanks before rushing inside. Hakkai watched her go with a peaceful smile on his face.

"Did something happen while I was out?" Ran muttered to Gojyo.

"Yeah…looks like Hakkai finally admitted he liked her," Gojyo said. "My guess is they made up when he fought her in demon mode."

"That would do it," Ran mumbled.

"Well it's about time," Gojyo said out loud.

"Right…well I'm going in as well. I wonder if any of those three changed after all this time. My guess would be…no," Ran stated walking back into the inn.

"You two seem rather close to them," Mitsu stated to Hakkai and Gojyo with a smile.

"Well, we've been traveling with them for a while now," Gojyo said shrugging.

"Well, it's nice to know that they have such good friends looking out for them," Mitsu said before walking off.

"Something about that guy doesn't sit right with me," Gojyo muttered after he left. "He's way too polite for my taste."

"Is it because Ran acts pretty friendly with him?" Hakkai asked nonchalantly.

"No…there's just something about him that strikes me as fake," Gojyo explained. "I can't put my finger on it but I just don't trust him."

"Uh oh…I think someone's getting jealous," Hakkai chuckled.

"This isn't jealousy," Gojyo declared.

"You know if you like her you should tell her so…otherwise she might just jump at the first guy who asks her out," Hakkai told him.

"Like you have any right to lecture me," Gojyo told him in annoyance.

"At least I was honest with myself, Gojyo. Maybe you should take a closer look at what you have, before you lose it," Hakkai told him seriously. "Anyway, I have some errands to run, so I'll see you later." Gojyo watched him leave wondering just what Hakkai meant.

* * *

"Karin…it has been a long time hasn't it," one of her brothers said when she walked into the room. "That guy with the monocle said that you were the one that saved our lives back there."

"Daisuke!" Karin shouted running over to him and glomping him. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I should say the same about you," Daisuke said rubbing her head. "Kano is really beating himself up over what he did."

"But wasn't he forced to?" Karin asked.

"Maybe, but that doesn't make him feel any better about it," Mamoru said, smoking a cigarette. "You're our little sister, it's our job to protect you. I'm just sorry we didn't get our shot at those demons."

"You shouldn't be smoking when you're still recovering," Karin reprimanded.

"Hey if I'm going to be stuck in this bed I'm going to enjoy a few luxuries," Mamoru said taking another puff.

"Karin…" a sad voice muttered from the doorway.

Karin turned around to see Kano standing there with Ran standing with her hand hidden behind his back. "Come on Kano…just say it already," Ran hissed at him.

"Karin…I'm really sorry…about what I did," Kano muttered.

"There that wasn't so hard," Ran beamed at him.

"Aw, that's okay. What matters is you're back to normal," Karin said hugging him.

"Would you get off?" He said trying to squirm out of her grip.

Karin suddenly felt herself picked up and lifted into the air over Mamoru's head. "Geez you're light. Don't you eat?"

"Gah! Put me down," Karin wailed.

Ran cracked up laughing, "Looks like things really haven't changed."

"Well what about you Ran? Have you bulked up any or are you still a twig?" Mamoru asked putting Karin down.

"We are not going to find out," Ran declared taking a couple steps back.

"And here you were pushing me to do something," Kano chuckled. "Here let me help you." He reached over and easily dragged Ran over to Mamoru's reach and he lifted Ran over his head as well.

"Daisuke help me," Karin declared running over to her other brother's bed.

"No…you're on your own this time," he said laughing.

"Mamoru put me down…this isn't funny," Ran stuttered staring at the ground.

"Hey Daisuke let's see if these two are as ticklish as before," Mamoru suggested keeping a good hold on Ran and looking over at his younger brother.

"Okay…" Daisuke agreed grabbing Karin and going for her most ticklish spot.

"Gahahaha!" Karin screamed with laughter as Daisuke tickled her without mercy. Mamoru and Kano both ganged up on Ran who was soon also in fits of laughter. However, the girls weren't about to give up without a fight, especially since they now knew how to. Karin managed to climb onto Daisuke's back and wrap her arm around his neck while Ran was rolling around with Kano as Mamoru played referee.

They continued to roll around until Ran got the upper hand and pinned Kano to the floor holding him in place. "1…2…3 pinned," Momoru said ending the match. At that moment Gojyo and Goku walked in to see what all the commotion was and found Ran on top of Kano and Karin on Daisuke's back.

"Okay… should we come back later?" Gojyo asked raising an eyebrow at the spectacle.

"Looks like fun, can I play too?" Goku asked.

"Hey guys," Karin said hopping off Daisuke's back. "These are the guys that have been traveling with us and helping us," Karin told her brothers. "The red head is Gojyo and the other is Goku."

"That's right…they're a real pain in the butt most of the time…but they can be fun," Ran added letting Kano up. "The only problem with Gojyo is he's a major pervert/womanizer."

"Really…well you'd better leave Karin out of your games or you'll have us to deal with," Mamoru said inspecting Gojyo. "Leave Ran alone too…she's had enough to deal with without your help."

"It's not like that Mamoru nii-san," Karin insisted. "Gojyo has been a really good friend to us, and he's really nice too."

"You're problem is you're too nice and overly trusting," Kano told her rubbing her head roughly.

"Heaven only knows what kind of trouble she's been getting herself into," Daisuke sighed, shaking his head.

"You all are so mean," Karin pouted.

"No worries guys I've been looking out for her. She's right about Gojyo…the most he's done is make stupid comments but only to me…he leaves Karin alone for the most part," Ran stepped in. "Besides he's saved both of our butts at least once."

"Hey what about me?" Goku asked feeling left out.

"Yes…what would we do without Goku-kun?" Karin asked giving Goku a hug.

"This little guy packs quite a punch and though he get's into everything like Umi did he's saved us plenty of times as well," Ran added laughing.

"What about those other two?" Mamoru asked.

"You mean Sanzo and Hakkai right?" Goku asked.

"Sanzo's bossy and a total jerk, but he has his good points," Ran said with a shrug.

"And Hakkai and Karin are dating!" Goku announced.

"Is that so?" Mamoru said in an overprotective brother voice, his eyes suddenly flashing.

"Karin, when were you going to tell us this?" Kano asked her, placing her in a choke hold.

"Daisuke… help," Karin gasped.

"I'm curious myself actually."

"Well by the look of things that just barely started up so she couldn't have told you until now anyway," Ran said shaking her head. "You don't have to worry though…Hakkai's a good guy. He'll look after her."

"Really…is that so Karin?" Kano asked playfully.

"Like I'll tell you," Karin snapped back fighting against his grip.

Gojyo and Goku both laughed at the sight of her struggling and then Gojyo turned and walked out the door. "I'll be over at the tavern whenever you guys decide to get going," he said waving as he left.

"Right catch ya later Gojyo," Ran exclaimed grinning widely.

Karin and Ran spent the rest of the day catching up with Karin's three brothers. Apparently, the three had been living in separate towns and hadn't met each other before the demons had found them, and they all needed to get back to their jobs and families.

They all gave her the locations of the villages they lived in and told her to come visit sometime and the three of them left shortly afterwards, but not before promising Hakkai that no one would ever be able to find his remains if he let anything happen to their little sister.

"Okay well it's pretty late right now…so we probably won't be able to leave until tomorrow morning," Ran said leaning back in her chair once the group had gathered for dinner.

"Cool so we're going to have breakfast here as well?" Goku asked happily. "Alright…the food here is great."

"Well we're going to the angel village starting tomorrow and I can't wait to find out what they do for fun," Ran exclaimed closing her eyes and picturing what she thought it would be like.

"Whatever it is you're on your own," Sanzo said.

"But I wanna go see the angels too," Goku protested.

"It's okay everyone," Karin told them. "We don't want to be any more of an inconvenience to you."

"You've been a big help to us before but I think we'll just cause you trouble if we stick around much longer," Ran continued. "Besides you guys have you own aim and our little side trips are probably making you guys go slower than usual so it might be better if we went alone."

"They do have a point…besides you are all demons and one human and angels generally don't take to kindly to your kind," Mitsu added from behind them.

"When did you show up?" Gojyo asked not so kindly.

"I've been here the entire time…just outside your window."

"You said that angels don't care for the likes of demons and humans. Would that include you?" Sanzo asked pointedly.

You could almost see a streak of lightning shoot between those cold violet eyes and Mitsu's golden brown ones. After a moment, he said, "My only concern right now is getting these two the help they need. They might cause your group trouble but if you came along it would be you who would be causing the problems," Mitsu said seriously.

"Why would we cause trouble?" Goku asked his mouth full of food.

"Because you'd eat everything they had," Sanzo growled irritated.

"As I said before, angels are wary when it comes to demons, or even humans for that matter. Too many incidents have happened over the years," Mitsu explained.

"But then wouldn't they discriminate against Ran and Karin?" Hakkai asked, placing a hand over hers that was resting in her lap.

"Unlike your society, we don't believe in punishing the children for the sins of the parents," Mitsu stated plainly.

"Well that's good to know," Ran muttered thinking about how badly the demon half breeds are treated.

"Whether the rest of you come along or not we will be leaving tomorrow morning," Mitsu said suddenly.

"I agree Mitsu…I want to know more about angels. You guys really shouldn't worry about us too much. We know how to take care of ourselves," Ran agreed smiling reassuringly.

"I want to learn more about where I came from too," Karin said. "I also want to learn more about Bishi-kun and our parents."

'How long is she going to keep calling me that?' Mitsu thought in dismay. 'She's like Setsuna back when we first met.' He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought.

"Do you two really want to ditch us that badly?" Gojyo asked curiously.

"No…you guys are a lot of fun…we really don't want to get rid of you. It's just…we're being major burdens right now and think that you guys could use a break from us," Ran explained hurriedly.

"Especially after yesterday's fiasco, we just feel like we're slowing you guys down," Karin added.

"How very perceptive of you," Sanzo remarked sarcastically.

"You two aren't burdens…you have problems that you must face but so do the rest of us," Hakkai spoke up. "In fact part of the last fiasco was because of a problem I had…not you."

"He's got a point…we all have things that slow us down. I'd say Sanzo's the biggest problem because he's the easiest to recognize and demons are always trying to kill him," Gojyo added amused.

"That's right Sanzo really does stand out," Goku put in after swallowing another mouthful of food.

"You wanna die?" Sanzo threatened, pulling his gun out. "I'll send you to the angels myself."

"Sanzo, I wanna go," Goku whined.

"Quit your whining," Sanzo barked.

"Sanzo… it might be beneficial if we go," Hakkai told him. "Think of all we could learn."

"Yeah…besides if we do go we might find a secret to keeping Gyomao from being brought back to life," Gojyo added.

"How do you figure that?" Sanzo demanded.

"Well they are angels so they probably have methods for doing things that no one else in the world does," Gojyo pointed out.

"Just come along…it's on the way and we'd probably only be there for a couple days," Hakkai continued.

"Fine…I really don't care either way," Sanzo muttered.

"Alright…we get to see the angels village," Goku exclaimed happily. "I hope they have good food."

"Are you sure?" Mitsu asked them. "Your mission is very important and this detour could cost you much needed time."

Sanzo glared at him. "What I do is my own damn business. Are you trying to get rid of us?"

"Well let's get some sleep…I don't know about you guys but I want tomorrow to come faster so we can head out sooner," Ran said standing up cutting through the tense conversation. "See you guys in the morning."

Karin was about to head off to bed as well, but she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked to see Mitsu. "If it's not too much trouble, may I speak with you privately for a moment?" At Karin's confused look he continued. "It's about Setsuna."

Karin nodded in understanding. "Okay." She turned to Hakkai. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," Hakkai responded smiling.

Karin followed Mitsu out the door and together they walked down the street. "So what was it you wanted to speak with me about?" Karin asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I wanted to ask you a few things. Like, how is Setsuna doing?" Mitsu asked her tentatively.

"I haven't seen him for a while, but he seems okay," Karin answered.

"Has anyone ever told you…" Mitsu began.

"That I'm a lot like him?" Karin finished for him. "Yes, several times in fact."

"I apologize if I'm being redundant, but yes…you are a lot like him. It's rather heartwarming actually…it brings back memories," Mitsu said whimsically.

"Well I'm glad I can be a source of happy thoughts…I still fail to see the resemblance though," Karin replied sheepishly.

"Well you resemble him more from when we lived with the gods," Mitsu explained. "Back then he was a lot more nervous, kind, and happy towards others. Ever since we were forced to leave he became as you now know him."

"But from what Shien-san told me, it sounds like you've changed a lot too Bishi-kun," Karin told him honestly.

Mitsu stopped in his tracks. "Shien… danna?"

Karin looked back at him and saw that he wore an expression of shock and remorse. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

Suddenly he grabbed her by the shoulder. "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing…" Karin told him rather surprised by his reaction. "Just that you were a polite person… and that you used to work under him."

His gripped slackened. "I see… I'm sorry if I startled you. Is he well?"

Karin nodded. "As near as I could tell."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mitsu said breathing deeply. "So how are you doing with Hakkai?"

"It was a very hard and long road but it was worth it," Karin replied happily.

"You know…demon and angel blood is a dangerous combination. You've experienced the effects first hand," Mitsu pointed out gently. Karin was about to protest but he hushed her with a raised hand. "Please know that I merely speak my concern as a friend. I have no intention of playing a father to anyone. I don't like seeing the daughter of my closest friend suffering in such a way."

Karin closed her eyes. "Mitsu-kun… I'm grateful that you care so much, but I honestly don't care what happens to me at this point. I just want to be with him. Surely you've felt the same way towards someone else before… haven't you?"

"Yes…I did…but that was a long time ago," Mitsu replied sadly. "Do you suppose Ran will ever feel the same toward Gojyo?"

"Sometimes it's hard to tell," Karin admitted. "They keep going off an on like a dying light bulb that's trying so hard to stay alive. But if nothing else, they're really good friends."

Mitsu closed his eyes. "Really… how very quaint." A period of silence followed afterwards.

"Mitsu-san…"

"What's this? No more nicknames?"

"I thought you didn't like it."

"… I didn't mind that much."

"Okay Bishi-kun!"

Mitsu sighed. "What is it that you wanted?"

"I'm really glad that we got to meet you," Karin said happily. Mitsu's eyes widened as a voice of the past echoed in his mind.

"I'm very glad I was able to meet the two of you as well," Mitsu said contentedly. "Well I think it's getting late and your friends will be worried if you don't make it back soon."

"Yeah you're right. Well then kind sir will you please escort me back to the inn?" Karin asked with false aristocracy.

Mitsu sighed and shook his head in amusement, "I would but I'm afraid your boyfriend might get a little jealous."

"Do you really think he would appreciate you leaving me out here all by myself?" Karin asked him jokingly.

This time Mitsu actually let out a soft laugh. "You raise a good point… very well, m'lady."

* * *

"Dokugakuji…" Kougaiji growled.

"I couldn't help it, Kou. She was so insistent on it," the bigger man apologized.

"Did you have to bring four of them?" Kougaiji asked irately.

"She said there was one for each of us," Dokugakuji answered shortly.

"Besides they look so beautiful sitting in the middle of the last set of flowers she sent," Yaone added.

"You have to except them from your girlfriend," Lirin spoke up joyfully.

"For the last time…" Kougaiji began with utter annoyance.

"We know, Lord Kou… actually, it turns out that she has more of a thing for the group healer," Dokugakuji told them.

Lirin and Kougaiji both stared at Yaone in amazement and Yaone blushed. "Oh my…"

"THEY'RE group healer, you guys," Doku sighed, slapping a hand over his face.

"Ah brother…you were trying to steal someone else's woman….how could you?" Lirin accused.

"I was not trying to get her…now drop it already," Kougaiji shouted. "I don't care who she likes I don't want this place to turn into a flower shop."

"At least it would look pretty," Yaone said looking on the bright side.

"And it would smell nicer too… besides she put a lot of thought into giving these to you Lord Kou."

"Meaning?" Kougaiji asked skeptically.

"Well, she told me that red carnations are a symbol of respect and admiration. Also, these flowers along with the first ones she gave you match the color of your hair and eyes."

"I've had enough of these stupid flowers. Do with them as you wish but leave me out of it," Kougaiji said storming out of the room.

"Well it's good to see him in such high spirits," Yaone said happily.

"Yeah especially since my mom's been really grating on him," Lirin added smiling.

"So are we going to keep them in here or…" Dokugakuji asked holding up the flowers.

"Let's keep them in here…definitely," Yaone answered with certainty.

* * *

The next morning the group left after a good breakfast with the boys riding Hakuryuu, the girls riding Chihiro and Mitsu flying beside the two groups. The travel was the same as always with Goku complaining about his hunger, Gojyo telling him to shut up, Sanzo threatening them all and Ran ending it by smacking the two boys in the head with her hammer.

"So this is how they've been traveling…how they manage to not kill each other is an amazing feat," Mitsu thought to himself. When they finally stopped it was in an open field with a few rolling hills.

It didn't take long to set up the sleeping bags, and there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out. "I'm gonna go take a look around," Ran called out.

"Mind if I come with?" Gojyo asked her.

She shrugged and smiled. "If you want." And the two left, not noticed the pair of honey brown eyes staring after them.

"Um… Hakkai?" He looked up to see Karin standing their looking rather bashful.

"Yes is there something you need?" Hakkai asked warmly.

"Well you see…if it's not too much trouble…I want to sleep with Hakkai tonight," Karin said bashfully.

Hakkai stared at her surprised for several moments. "Have you been talking with Gojyo lately?" he asked not sure what else to say.

"About what?" Karin asked confused.

"Do you know what it is you just asked?"

"Well it's just…I sleep better when I'm cuddling with something," Karin explained sheepishly.

"Oh…that's all. In that case…I really don't mind," Hakkai told her smiling relieved.

"Really I wouldn't be a bother?" Karin asked.

"You could never be a bother to me," Hakkai replied offering her his hand.

Karin happily took it and they found a nice soft spot to lie down. Hakkai wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled up against him, relishing his scent, the warmth of his body, and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Chihiro and Hakuryuu curled up not too far away from them.

"Hakkai… can I ask you something?" Karin said shyly.

"I believe you just did," he said smiling.

"Seriously," Karin said with a small pout.

He chuckled. "Alright, what is it?"

Karin looked away shyly. "Do you… think I'm… pretty?"

Hakkai thought for a moment then answered, "No…not really."

"Oh…would you want to be with me….forever?" Karin asked feeling slightly put out.

"Not particularly."

"If I were to disappear…would you cry?"

"No."

Karin turned away from him. "Is this opposite day or something? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

"An honest one," He answered. Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Hakkai holding her tightly. "You're not pretty…you're beautiful. I don't want to be with you forever….I need to be with you forever. And I wouldn't cry if you disappeared…I'd die," he said holding her in his arms. Karin's eyes widened at his words. "Stay with me always," Hakkai whispered in her ear.

"I promise," Karin replied happily wrapping her own arms around him. Karin could never remember sleeping as well as she did that night.

* * *

"Love was something that I never understood, I never received it from anyone either. As far as I cared love wasn't something I needed…or so I thought," Gojyo thought watching Ran run ahead of him with the moon shining in front of her. "After what Hakkai said though…I started to realize why I never quit going after her."

"Wow…you can see everything from up here," Ran said amazed staring across the field from atop one of the hills. "We can see the camp from here and I think I can see where the angel village is."

"Really…where is that?" Gojyo asked coming up behind her.

"See that area that looks like it's been cleared out…in a circle?" Ran asked pointing toward where a forest began.

"No…I don't see a thing out there," Gojyo replied squinting through the darkness to get a better look.

"That's right…Mitsu did say that Karin and I would be the only ones who could see it," Ran said apologetically. "It would be cool if you could see it though."

"What I'm seeing right now is good enough," Gojyo mumbled. "Though I was wondering…what did you do to your hair?"

"Huh?" Ran reached up and took a hold of her hair which now only went to just above her shoulders. "Oh…I chopped it off because it got in my way during that last fight."

"Really? Thinking of growing it back?" He asked curiously.

"Eh… maybe later," Ran shrugged. "When I have less trouble to deal with I'll think about it."

"Funny… I did the same thing once," Gojyo said smirking at the memory.

"Why did you grow it back?" Ran asked.

"To piss off the monk," he answered.

"Haha…I guess that's as good a reason as any," Ran chuckled. "It really is a pain if someone can force you to move if they just grab your hair."

"Oh so that's why…well then just make sure to watch your back," Gojyo told her ruffling her hair.

"Quit it," Ran muttered shoving his hand off her head. "I still won't grow it back any time soon."

"That's a real shame…after all it contrasted very nicely with your wings…or so Goku tells me," Gojyo shrugged.

"My wings…you mean I got them?" Ran asked stunned.

"Yeah… you also got your wish."

Ran cocked her head to the side, thinking. "Which one?"

"You wished for them to be the same color as my hair, right?"

"Yeah… wait you mean they are?" Ran asked excited at first, then suddenly her face fell. 'They're really that dark?"

"What's the matter?" Gojyo asked her. "I thought that's what you wanted."

"I did… but at the same time, it means that I'm…"

"What does it mean?"

"It means…that I'm tainted. The darker an angels wings the darker their soul is," Ran explained losing all her excitement. "I thought it'd be cool to have red wings because I love the color…but now it just means that I'm tainted."

"Somehow I doubt that's true…if you were tainted you'd probably have taken up my offers by now…at least once," Gojyo told her. "Naw I think your information was mixed up somehow."

"You're wrong but thanks for trying anyway," Ran murmured smiling slightly.

"Well, then… since you're soul is so tainted, I guess I'll just have to exorcize some of that darkness won't I?" Gojyo asked her before he reached around her waste and began tickling her playfully. 'It was strange… I had never taken steps before with women. Most of my encounters have led to sweet talk, and then sex shortly afterwards. I've never really had a female friend before either.'

"Gojyo quit it," Ran squealed fighting back. "How did he know where my tickle spots were anyway? Oh wait he must have found out from Karin's brothers…I'm going to kill them for this," she thought to herself.

"I'm not going to quit until you stop being depressed," Gojyo told her grinning mischievously.

"I said stop it," Ran shouted pushing at his hands to no avail. Then all at once she lost her balance and the two of them went tumbling down the hill.

When they came to a halt at the bottom, Ran found herself on her back with Gojyo over her, supported up by his hands resting on either side of her head. His long hair fell around his face like a blood colored curtain as he stared down at her. She could slowly feel the color rising in her cheeks and her heart was thumping hard against her chest. At first she thought it was because of the tickling and falling down the hill… but should it really feel this intense? She watched as his lips moved, forming her name and it felt as though his voice had wrapped itself around her chest and was now suffocating her. Her mind hadn't even registered how close his face had come to hers, until she felt warm lips against her own.

Time seemed to freeze and Ran's brain quit working. She felt like a fire was burning in her chest and her limbs felt numb but what got her the most was the feeling that she wanted this. After what felt like forever Gojyo backed off and Ran could breathe again. She stared up at him with surprise and she tried to get a hold of her sanity.

"Ran….I like you," Gojyo whispered.

Ran's heart leapt up to her throat and she tried to play if off as nothing. "Well…we're just friends right?"

"No…I…I like you more…than just as a friend," Gojyo told her softly.

"Did he just…" Ran thought her heart speeding up. "Gojyo…could you…get off me?"

Gojyo looked at her for a few more moments before shifting so that he was no longer over her, but sitting beside her. Ran slowly sat up and drew her knees against her chest which, for reasons she couldn't explain, hurt terribly.

"Is there something wrong?" Gojyo asked when Ran sat there silently.

"Gojyo…why…why now?" Ran asked into her knees. "Why after all this time do you say it now?"

'Why, she asked…. How could I give her an answer when I myself wasn't even sure? I was always good with words, yet now, when I needed them most… they failed me.'

When Gojyo didn't answer Ran slowly stood and turned back toward the camp. "I'm sorry Gojyo….but I can't," she said every word torturing her as she spoke them. Then she ran back toward camp fighting back the tears that threatened to break through.

'What is love?' Gojyo thought as he watched her leave. 'Not that I wanted it… or so I had thought. It was something I could never seem to win, so why even bother trying? But why… why did I have to be the source of her tears?'

He stayed where he was pondering his feelings and what he was going to do now for a long time. Eventually though he got up and returned to the group being careful to not bother Ran. As he settled down into a restless sleep Mitsu watched him and Ran with an air of disapproval and, to his own surprise, jealousy.

* * *

CM: Aw, poor Gojyo. He really does need someone to love and love him back. Next time...

Goku: Wow, this place is great!

Hakkai: Karin, isn't that your father?

Karin: I have to do what?

Gojyo: Something about this just doesn't feel right...

Stay tuned! And please review. :)


	21. Seclusion

_**Seclusion- The Angels' Village**_

The next morning Ran had woken up early and gathered a few things for breakfast. "Wow thanks Ran…this looks great," Goku exclaimed digging in.

"Morning Goku…hope it tastes good too," Ran said chuckling at his enthusiasm.

"You're up early," Karin commented sitting up but being careful not to wake Hakkai up.

"Yeah…I couldn't sleep," Ran replied with a smile. There were red spots around her eyes which were a little puffy…as if she'd been crying. "Breakfast is ready if you want some."

"Thanks," Karin said eagerly gathering herself a plate of food while setting aside one for Hakkai in case Goku ended up getting carried away. Then she started preparing coffee. For herself and anyone else who wanted some.

"Hmm…something smells good," Gojyo muttered walking over to the fire where breakfast was cooking. "Don't you go eating all of it you stupid monkey."

He sat down to eat and Ran fixed him a plate without a word or even looking at him. "I'm going to find some more water…I'll be right back," she muttered without looking at anyone.

"Huh? What's up with Ran?" Goku asked, watching her leave.

"Just shut up and eat," Gojyo muttered.

"Oh I get it, you said something to tick her off again, didn't you?" The young monkey guessed.

"I said shut it before I plug up that useless hole of yours with a rock," Gojyo shouted at him.

"I'll bite you before you even get the chance!" Goku shouted back and the two of them were suddenly ensued in a vicious struggling match.

Suddenly there was gunfire. "Will you two be quiet?" Sanzo yelled. "Do you think I enjoy being woken up by the likes of you?"

Karin sighed before taking her plate of food as well as Hakkai's and going over to the quieter area. "Hey, Hakkai, are you still sleeping?"

"I was until the fireworks startled me," Hakkai murmured sitting up. "The fight seems a little more vicious today…did something happen?"

"I have no idea," Karin told him placing his food down next to him. "Goku said something to Gojyo about Ran and then…well you heard the end result."

"Where is Ran?" Hakkai asked noticing the other red head wasn't present.

"She said she was going to find some more water," she told him, handing him a cup of coffee.

"I see… and Mitsu?"

"He seems to come and go as he pleases," Karin told him thoughtfully. "I think he feels rather detached from everyone else."

"Hmm…I hope that things turn out…going to the angels' village," Hakkai murmured taking a bite of his food.

"What do you mean Hakkai?" Karin asked confused.

"It's nothing…just a little feeling that's been bugging me."

"Don't keep me in the dark," Karin persevered. "I want to know what's on your mind. Otherwise it'll be bugging me all day."

Hakkai chuckled. "Are you that worried about me?"

"Of course I am," Karin answered without a second thought.

"Well to be honest I don't trust him…Mitsu. There's something about him that makes me a little uneasy. Maybe it's because he just comes and goes…I don't know…but I just can't trust him fully," Hakkai explained as he finished off his food.

"I can understand what you mean," Karin replied, sipping on her coffee. "But, knowing who he is, I really want to trust him."

"If I may, you know who he used to be, not who he is now," Hakkai told her gently.

"Why do I have a feeling that's your nice way of telling me not to be too trusting?" Karin said smiling quirkily.

"You know me too well," Hakkai said smiling.

Their conversation was suddenly cut short as Goku landed hard right in front of them. "You stupid water sprite…it wasn't me," Goku shouted jumping up and flying at Gojyo.

"I know it was you who took my eggs and you're going to pay for it," Gojyo shouted back catching Goku and digging his knuckles into his head.

*BANG* "I told you two to shut up," Sanzo shouted back.

"Why don't you make us you damn monk?" Gojyo taunted.

"Gladly," Sanzo shouted standing up and pointing his gun at Gojyo at point blank range.

Just then Karin decided to make the mistake of standing between Gojyo and Sanzo's gun. "I think we all just need to take a ten count here," Karin stated to all of them.

"Don't get in the way," Sanzo growled.

"Oh grow up!" Karin suddenly snapped viciously. "I swear if you guys start a fight like this when we get into the village I'll throw you out myself!" With that she stormed off to go find Ran to tell her they needed to leave soon.

"What did we do?" Gojyo muttered watching the second woman walk away from him within twelve hours.

"Hakkai get up already…we're leaving as soon as those two get back," Sanzo said angrily lighting up a cigarette.

"Sure thing Sanzo," Hakkai replied sweat dropping.

* * *

When Karin found Ran she was by a river splashing water on her face with the water containers completely full.

"Hey, we're heading out in a bit. You ready?" Karin asked her.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Ran told her.

"Did something happen between you and Gojyo?" Karin asked suddenly.

"What makes you say that?" Ran answered the question with her own.

"You just don't seem like yourself this morning," Karin said.

"I had a rough night… that's all," Ran replied.

"Alright… well, don't take too long, okay?" With that, Karin took some of the water containers and carried them back to camp.

A few minutes later Ran returned with a forced smile on her face and water all over herself. "What happened to you?" Goku asked amused.

"I fell in," Ran answered with a laugh. "So we ready to go?"

"Yep…let's go," Karin answered as Chihiro and Hakuryuu changed into their traveling forms. Once again they were on their way with Mitsu leading the way. As they went along Ran kept absolutely silent and Gojyo snuck glances at her every once in awhile.

Through the whole trip, it was disturbingly quite aside from Goku's occasional groans of hunger pains and Sanzo shouting at him to be quiet. Gojyo was too distracted to notice, and Hakkai was preoccupied with his own worries, namely Karin's sudden aggressiveness that morning.

"We're here," Mitsu stated coming to a stop in front of what appeared to be a dead forest.

"This is just a group of dead trees," Sanzo said angrily.

"That's only because you're a human. Karin…Ran what do you see?" Mitsu asked suddenly.

"A clearing," Karin answered slowly.

"Exactly." With that he marched into the group of dead trees and vanished.

"Where did he go?" Goku asked surprised.

Ran sighed, slid off Chihiro and without another thought followed Mitsu in. Seconds later she came back with a huge grin on her face. "Come on guys you have got to see this."

Karin approached and felt the same tingling effects she had experienced when they had visited the abandoned house. "Hold on… I think we're going to have to help them through."

"That is correct," Mitsu said reappearing. "If they were to attempt to enter without angel supervision, their bodies would fly apart from the barrier's affects."

"They would what?" Ran asked surprised. "So…that's why we feel tingly walking through there?"

"That is correct. If the two of you didn't have angel blood you would have died with the first barrier," Mitsu told them seriously.

"Well I guess we really should help them through then," Ran muttered turning and walking back the other way. "Hey guys we're going to help you through okay."

Karin took Hakkai's hand first. "So… how does this work?"

"Bring out your angelic aura and then lead him through," Mitsu instructed.

"Um… I'm not sure if I can do that," Karin told him unconfidently.

"You've done it once before, have you not?" Mitsu asked her. "Do it again. It's not that difficult. Just focus and you will find it."

Karin still wasn't convinced but she closed her eyes and gave it a try. She cleared her mind and tried thinking back on the time when her wings had appeared. That had been when Hakkai had kissed her… told that he loved her… Karin suddenly felt like a pitcher being filled as she opened her eyes to see that she once more had her wings out and she was radiating a celestial glow.

"Good, now step through the barrier with him. You need not worry about anyone seeing you. The village gate is still a half miles walk."

Karin and Hakkai both went through the barrier and came out the other end unscathed…though Hakkai had felt the same tingling feeling. "Alright come on Goku let's go," Ran said reaching for Goku's hand.

Mitsu stopped her quickly. "I think I should do that," he said quickly.

"But…"

"It's too dangerous for you to bring out your aura…better let Karin and I do it." Ran opened her mouth to complain again but quickly closed it as she realized…he was probably right. Sadly she marched through the barrier alone and waited for Karin and Mitsu to finish bringing the others safely through it.

Sanzo had to practically be dragged through by Karin when he refused to be led by the hand. "I will only say this once," Mitsu stated once everyone was through. "The village does not take kindly to disturbances such as pointless shouting and gunfire. Such actions will be punished by asking you to leave the village."

"In other words, stay away from each other until we leave," Ran mumbled to them.

"And don't go saying anything that'll upset Ran okay," Goku joked making Gojyo smack him on the head.

"If you two cause us to get thrown out I'll shoot you," Sanzo threatened.

"You're more likely to get us thrown out than anyone, you damn monk," Gojyo muttered throwing up his hands when Sanzo pointed his gun at him.

"Sanzo the gate is right there would you mind putting that thing away?" Karin asked worrisome.

"Yes please be on your best behavior," Mitsu pleaded, sighing his frustration.

When the group approached the gate, two angels stood guarding the entrance. Like Mitsu and Setsuna, the two seemed to radiate an unnatural beauty that was impossible to find in human males. "Mitsu, who are these strangers?" The first who had long sandy hair tied back in a pony tail asked.

"You know the rules better than anyone, outsiders are forbidden," The second with spiky white hair added.

"Take a closer look at the two young women," Mitsu said as if that would explain all. "They are kin."

The two glared at him for a minute but looked closer at Ran and Karin. After a few minutes the spiky haired guy smiled a little bit. "I see…so these are the two Setsuna mentioned," he said shaking his head.

"So who are the rest of your...companions? I smell demon on them," the pony tail said suspiciously.

"They are friends and won't cause any trouble," Mitsu promised. The two guards looked over the Sanzo party for several minutes not sure whether to let them through or not.

"We'll let them through for now but they have to see the elder before they'll be allowed to stay for any length of time," pony tail declared.

Mitsu bowed his head in thanks before leading the party past the gate. "Why does everyone look upset?" Goku asked as he glanced around at the random people they walked by.

"Have you not been listening?" Gojyo asked in wonderment. "Sometimes I think your ears are just for decoration."

"Take that back," Goku demanded.

"Quiet, both of you," Sanzo barked.

"Need I remind you all that people already think badly of us without you giving them reason to," Hakkai interjected.

"Mitsu… are you sure we'll be accepted?" Karin asked, feeling rather nervous.

"I'm not sure about accepted but tolerated…yes probably," Mitsu told her.

"I meant us as half angels," Karin clarified.

"Um…you'll be more accepted than they will," Mitsu explained. "They won't hate you for the sins of your parents."

"So they hate our parents then?" Karin asked surprised.

"Not exactly…as I said before…we never shun one of our own. However, that doesn't mean we condone their actions," Mitsu explained.

"Hey Karin look…it's your dad," Ran whispered pointing toward a large building. Karin looked up to see Setsuna talking with a beautiful man, who looked somewhat older than the others, out in front of the large building.

Karin was rather surprised and at first she wasn't sure what to do. Then before anyone could stop her she rushed forward and the two stopped conversing to stare at her. "I'm sorry," Karin told Setsuna, bowing her head in shame. "I said some really terrible things and I didn't mean them. So please, can we start over."

Setsuna stared at her looking immensely surprised before he sighed. "I see you still lack any formality. Show your respect to the village elder."

Karin's eyes widened. "You're the elder?" Karin asked in amazement before bowing her head once more. "I'm sorry, you looked so young and beautiful and I guess I was expecting someone… well, older looking."

The elder laughed. "My, aren't you full of energy. She really is your daughter, Setsuna."

"So people keep saying," Setsuna sighed.

"Where's the other one? I was looking forward to seeing Hotaru's daughter as well," the elder said looking over at the group. His eyes fell on Ran and she slowly came up to the elder and bowed respectfully.

"It's an honor to meet you sir," she said reverently.

"Please, there is no need for such titles," the elder said smiling. "My name is Isamu. It would do me the honor of knowing yours."

"I'm Ran Sato," she answered.

"And I'm Karin Hanaii," Karin piped up. "And these are our friends. We've been traveling with them for a while now, and they've helped us out a lot. We probably wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for them. And Mitsu of course." The said blonde had been looking intently at Setsuna, but upon hearing his name turned to the elder and bowed politely.

"Well I must say you did a marvelous job helping them arrive," Isamu said happily. "As for your friends…it's not everyday we have demons at our doorstep…but as they did help you girls out they will be allowed to stay as long as you do."

"Thank you sir…Isamu-san. Um…is there an inn here that we can check in?" Ran asked looking around.

"Of course, my daughters Reira and Etsuko will show you to one." As he spoke a young and petite looking girl with brown hair in a pony tail braid came skipping towards them. Another, taller and older looking, with long hair of the same color and straight cut bangs, strode behind her with the supple elegance of a willow tree. Both had bright brown eyes.

"Pleased to meet you all," the smaller one said smiling brightly. "I'm Estsuko."

"And I'm Reira," the older said.

"Welcome to our village."

"We shall have a banquet welcoming your coming here. Then afterwards we may discuss your… circumstances," Isamu told them delicately.

"Wow we get a banquet? I can't wait to try all that food," Goku shouted jumping up and down.

"Hey, Goku, do us all a favor and try to control yourself," Ran asked sheepishly.

"Don't worry…we have enough food to go around so please eat as much as you want while you're here," Etsuko said happily.

"Alright…food here I come," Goku exclaimed only to be smacked by Sanzo's paper fan.

"Will you knock it off…you are an embarrassment," Sanzo said angrily. The others sweat dropped as the angels nearby glared at the group.

"Don't hit him…how could you possibly harm such an upbeat and adorable little boy?" Reira demanded.

"Practice," Sanzo answered bluntly.

"Hehe, I like him," Etsuko said with a small laugh. "At least he knows how to keep his younger siblings in line."

"I can promise you, we are NOT brothers," Sanzo told her as if the very idea gave him chills.

"Come with me, I'll fix up a banquet just for you," Reira gushed happily scooping Goku up in her arms.

"Okay…you don't see that every day," Ran snickered. "I never thought I'd see the day Goku got a girl."

"Man…I'm supposed to be the one getting the action," Gojyo muttered jealously.

"As long as she keeps him out of my hair I really don't care," Sanzo muttered heading for the inn.

"I hope Goku has a fun time," Hakkai laughed.

"Oh…they look so cute together," Karin gushed.

"Karin, you think everything is cute," Ran groaned as the rest of the group headed for their dinner as well.

"Please don't mind my little sister, she has a little boy fetish," Etsuko explained.

"Huh, so wait… you're the older of the two?" Gojyo asked in surprise.

"Yes, and you have no idea how many times people make that mistake," she muttered in response. "Like it's my fault I'm short and have a chest less than half her size."

"Wow…I actually have a pretty good idea what you mean. For a long time…one of my older sisters was shorter than me….that is until she hit her growth spurt and now she's taller than me," Ran spoke up.

"Really which one?" Gojyo asked surprised.

"The one that you met," Ran replied curtly before speeding up and making it to the inn just after Reira and Goku.

* * *

The innkeeper was a little surprised at the party's arrival but treated them with distant respect. Each was able to get a room for themselves which they all found suitable. "Reira, how long do you plan on carrying that poor kid on your shoulders?" Etsuko asked her.

"I don't mind, this is actually really fun! Sanzo never lets me ride on his shoulders," Goku stated happily. "Besides, now I'm taller than all of you."

"You're still a shrimp," Gojyo said shaking his head.

Ran chuckled a bit at the sight but found a chair on the opposite side of the table as Gojyo. "Alright let's eat," Goku shouted banging his utensils on the table.

"Oh he's so cute," Reira fawned.

"You know he can't stay for long…why not leave this one alone?" Etsuko asked shaking her head.

"Never, he's mine, you can't have him!" Reira said squeezing Goku possessively while he continued munching on his food.

"This is the best food I've ever eaten in my life!" Goku exclaimed.

"Wait until you try my food later tonight," Reira told him.

"Hey guys, I'm really liking this place," Goku announced.

Karin giggled. "I think it's cute how Goku has an admirer."

"Yes, and it doesn't look like we'll have to worry about her trying to kill him, either," Hakkai noted.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, tell me," Karin pleaded.

He chuckled and took her hand, gently kissing it. "A story for later, I promise."

"Ran…how would you like a tour of the town later?" Mitsu asked as he sat next to her.

"Sure sounds like fun," Ran replied smiling. "Can it wait until tomorrow though? I get the feeling that once dinner's over the discussion on our…problems will take up the rest of the evening."

"That's no trouble at all. Besides it's a lot more interesting in the day light anyway," Mitsu answered warmly.

"Hey Mitsu, where did Setsuna go?" Karin asked him not seeing the man anywhere.

"I imagine he went to Hotaru's gravesite," Mitsu told her softly. "He'll probably leave shortly after."

Ran's fork froze half way to her mouth. "Her gravesite is… here?"

He nodded somberly. "I'll take you to see her later."

"Yes, thank you," Ran replied gratefully.

"Could you tell me where it is?" Karin asked urgently.

Mitsu blinked at her in surprise. "It's on the north west side of the village but…" He didn't get to finish before Karin got up and left without a word of goodbye.

"Where is Karin going?" Hakkai asked surprised.

"I think she went to see her dad," Ran told him before going back to her food.

"Hey, you damn monkey, this is my plate," Gojyo shouted grabbing his food away from Goku.

"But you have so many eggrolls and I barely got any," Goku complained.

"I don't care this is mine and you're not getting any."

"You stupid water-sprite you give me some too."

"You don't have to try to get that roach to give you anything Goku if you want some more I'll get it for you," Reira declared.

"Wow…thanks," Goku said smiling at her.

"Why do I have to put up with idiots?" Etsuko and Sanzo muttered at the same time. Both stop and glanced at each other with peculiar looks.

They had a staring match before Etsuko suddenly held a small plate in front of him. "Ginger?"

More staring… then, "Sure."

* * *

Karin ran through the village, passing by several angels not even taking in their surprised stares, until she finally found a large section of the village that was set apart. She spotted a tall figure standing in front of a grave with lilies decorating it. Karin stood silently wondering if maybe she shouldn't disturb him.

"Is there a reason you came to see me instead of enjoying the banquet?" Setsuna asked suddenly without turning around.

"I just wanted to apologize about my behavior before," Karin answered. "I was being childish and…I'm sorry. Please…I don't want you to leave yet."

Setsuna did not reply for several minutes. Karin sighed before taking the locket from around her neck and holding it out to him. "You wanted this back, didn't you?"

Setsuna turned to look at her and the locket she held in her hand and sighed. "I did when I didn't want you to know. I want you to keep it…to remember your mother and that I really didn't want to leave the both of you alone," Setsuna told her closing her hand around the locket.

Karin stared up at him and she could understand for the first time why her mom fell in love with him. He of course had the angelic beauty, and his eyes were clear, serene, star-striking, and, for the first time since she had met him, warm and gentle.

"Could you stay this time?" She entreated. "I want to know the full story."

"I really should be going," Setsuna sighed. "But I guess I could stay a little longer…just to spend some much needed time…with my daughter."

Karin bit her lower lip as a small grin spread across her face and she rushed forward, hugging him tightly. He gave a small start, and he stood still as if not knowing what to do. Then, he relaxed, and gently placed his arms around her. Though so many people insisted that she took after him, it was clear to Setsuna she had inherited her mother's tenderness. The very same that had captured his heart in the first place.

* * *

About an hour later Ran and Karin found themselves alone in a room with Isamu and the atmosphere was very tense. "So regarding your uniqueness. Karin you have demon blood mixing with your angel blood. We've never seen anything like this happen before but we now know that the mixing blood is a very bad combination," Isamu began. "Ran your power that you obtained from your mother is forcing you to lose complete control over your body and your mind."

"We already know our problems…the hard part is trying to deal with them," Ran spoke up.

"Impatient I see…just like your mother," Isamu said smiling. Ran turned a little red but kept looking at him expectantly. "There might be a way to remedy these two problems. Neither tasks are going to be easy, however," Isamu said folding his hands together. "Ran's is slightly simpler by definition so I'll begin with hers. Long ago special limiters were created to restrain angelic powers. There might yet be one out there for you to use."

"There are limiters for angels?" Ran asked excited. "So I can stop it…I really can?"

"Only if there are still some that are working," Isamu reminded her. "If none of them exist then you have no chance for that." He turned to Karin as Ran stared at the ground feeling excitement and depression at the same time. "For Karin…you will have to become an ascended angel."

Karin cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Ascended?"

"That is to stay… you would need to become a full-blooded angel," Isamu reworded. "By doing so, the demon blood inside of you will be purged from your body, and you would no longer have need for those limiters. However… the true challenge is the means to achieve this."

"How?" Karin asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"You will have to fight…and kill an angel taking their blood into yourself," Isamu explained.

"No way," Karin gasped.

"It can't just be any angel either…it must be one of your own blood," Isamu continued sadly.

Karin's insides suddenly felt as if they had vanished. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. He had to be joking, she thought. But looking at his face she knew he wasn't. "No way, I can't do that," she protested. "I'll just stay like this. That's fine, right?"

"Unfortunately you can't stay like this for much longer. Unless your demon blood is expelled it will take over and you will permanently lose yourself," Isamu told her seriously. "Leaving things as they are is a choice…but if that is the path you take, you won't last for another two months."

Karin was sure that more words were spoken, but she couldn't hear them through the haze that her mind had put around her. She wasn't sure, but she thought she had felt something wrap tightly around her, and her face being wet, and the strong taste of salt in her mouth, and then finally solicited darkness.

* * *

Ran sat in Sanzo's room with the rest of the group in silence for a long time. "Isn't Hakkai coming back?" Goku asked to no one in particular.

"He probably wanted to make sure she was alright so he stayed with her," Gojyo pointed out whimsically. "I'll just tell him later then…or let Karin tell him."

"So what's all the fuss about?" Sanzo asked annoyed.

"Well you see…apparently there are ways for us to stop our problems. For me I just need to find an angel limiter. For Karin she just needs to become ascended. What made her like that is the way to become ascended…which entitles killing her dad and drinking his blood," Ran explained shortly feeling sick to her stomach.

Silence fell over the room like a heavy blanket. "That sounds pretty morbid," Gojyo stated finally.

"There's gotta be some other way, isn't there?" Goku spoke up.

"If there is… he didn't say. He did mention, however, that if she did manage to do it then she would lose all her memories…all the way from when she was born," Ran replied sadly.

"Guess their system isn't as clean as it appears to be," Sanzo said callously.

"But Karin could never do something like that!" Goku exclaimed.

"I know… that's the problem," Ran said. "If she doesn't… the demon blood inside of her will completely take over, and there won't be any help for her."

"You mean if she doesn't do it like they said we'll lose her for good?" Goku asked frightened. "What will happen to Hakkai?"

"Well I'm sure he won't let it happen…who knows maybe if she does decide to try for it she'll find a way around killing him," Ran said hopefully.

"Somehow I doubt it'll be so easy," Sanzo muttered.

"I know it won't be easy…but knowing Karin…she'll find something," Ran declared optimistically.

"You really think so?" Goku asked sadly.

"I know so…she'll find a way just wait and see." With that she got up and left the room and headed for her own room to get some sleep…or at least try to.

* * *

"Are you truly willing to go through with this?" Mitsu asked seriously. He had managed to corner Setsuna and was insistent to speak with him. Setsuna, however, remained silent and he turned to leave. Mitsu grabbed him by the shoulder. "Setsuna, don't brush me off like you did all those years ago. What you're doing…"

"Is my business Mitsu," Setsuna shot back. "I know what I'm doing and if it works my daughter will be able to stay alive and have her powers."

"What if she fails…ever think about that? You already caused Ran to lose her mother…now you're making her lose her friend. Whether she succeeds or not, all Karin's friends will lose her," Mitsu shouted back. "You're her father…"

"Which is precisely why I have decided on this path, and nothing you say will change my mind," Setsuna said conclusively, ending the matter.

"I'm just trying to do what you failed to do," Mitsu responded darkly. "All those years ago… you didn't even try to stop her, and then you abandoned her corpse and me here and left without a word."

"That's enough Mitsu…as you are now you don't have any right to be angry. What would Hotaru think if she could see you now?" Setsuna said angrily.

"I at least am trying to help them. They need guidance as they start becoming what they truly are…and you're doing all you can to leave her…like you did all those years ago," Mitsu snapped.

"Mitsu you'll never understand the responsibility that I carry. I can't change the past and I can't force anyone to do what I think they should…the choice is still hers as to whether she goes through with it or not. I can, however, tell you that I don't want you anywhere near those girls until you straighten yourself out," Setsuna said in finality.

"There's nothing about me that needs straightening out," Mitsu said in a low voice.

"Really?" Setsuna asked, glancing over at him. "Tell me, Mitsu. Are your wings the same shade they were when I left you here?"

Mitsu froze and stared at the ground unable to meet Setsuna's gaze. "That's what I thought…then I'll say it again…leave them alone," Setsuna said dangerously.

"I'll leave Karin alone…there's nothing I can do for her anyway…not when her own father refuses to. I will keep a promise to Ran though…as you are not her father I will look out for her as if I was," Mitsu declared. He then spun around and left in his anger…leaving Setsuna there worried about what the future may hold for the two young angels.

* * *

CM: Oooh.... what's going on here? How will Karin bear through the difficulties of making such a hard choice? And will Ran and Gojyo ever be able to reconcile? Stay tuned! And please review.


	22. Seduction

**Seduction- An Angel's Song**

Karin's eyes snapped open and for several moments she lay completely still, not knowing where she was or how she had gotten there. She closed her eyes again and tried to think. Her face felt all dry and crusty and she was being held against something solid and warm. Also, a gentle breeze blew over her ear, tickling her a little. Then she recognized the smell. "Hakkai?" she whispered, opening her eyes once more.

"Hmm?" Hakkai replied warmly. "Are you feeling better?"

"How did I get here?" Karin mumbled confusedly.

"Ran helped you get here from the elders home and you went straight to bed. I was worried about you so I stuck around," Hakkai explained giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"I feel gross," Karin said wiping her face.

"Then maybe you should take a shower," Hakkai suggested with a chuckle. Karin stared at his face a moment and her heart filled with ache once more. She quickly buried her face in his chest, not wanting anymore more tears to spill.

"Karin…what happened? What did he tell you?" Hakkai asked feeling the sadness rolling over from her.

"Hakkai…if I became a different person…would you still love me?" Karin asked softly.

"It's you…I could never stop loving you. Why do you ask?"

"He said that the only choice left for me is…to kill my father…and leave my memories of you behind," Karin answered depressed.

Hakkai's grip on her slackened a bit when he heard the news. "Is this the only way?" he asked despondently. Karin nodded into his chest unable to say anything more. "It's your decision on whether you go through it or not…but know that either way…I'll be there to help you through it," Hakkai said warmly pulling her into his chest.

Karin bit her lip, and though her chest ached horribly, she didn't cry. She was too exhausted to cry anymore. Instead she just lay there with him, refusing to leave his arms. They were the only things that were holding her together.

* * *

"Hello Ran!"

"Gah!" Ran exclaimed, leaping five feet out of bed before whirling around to see Mitsu leaning on the window sill, his long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail with his bangs delicately framing his face. Ran couldn't help but marvel at how pretty he was. "Mitsu? What are you doing?"

"You said you wanted a tour of the village didn't you?" Mitsu asked innocently.

"But it's so early, and I haven't even had breakfast yet," Ran told him stretching and yawning.

"Do you like fruits?" Mitsu asked suddenly.

"…yeah why?" Ran asked curiously.

"Well…we do have an orchard here completely dedicated to fruit," Mitsu explained with a shrug. "I just thought you'd like some."

"Yeah sounds good," Ran exclaimed happily. "Just let me get dressed and let the others know where I'm going and I'll be out in a jiffy."

After Mitsu had nodded in agreement Ran quickly got dressed and ran past the party, who was already downstairs having breakfast, shouting that she was heading out and that she would probably be gone all day. When she got outside, Mitsu was waiting patiently. "So, where's the orchard?" Ran asked him eagerly. He smiled before taking hold of her hand and leading her to the place.

When they reached the orchard Ran's eyes lit up with awe and she tried to look in every direction at once. "This place is amazing…some of these fruits I've never even seen before. Say what's this one?" she asked stopping at a tree with lots of spiraled fruits hanging from it. "They almost look like springs."

"That's a canterberry," Mitsu explained. "Their flavors switch from being sour and sweet as you eat them."

"That's sounds really cool, but kinda weird," Ran said looking at the fruit with hunger in her eyes.

"Feel free to try one," Mitsu invited, plucking a fruit from the tree and offering it to her. Ran took it with thanks and took a bite. It was the oddest sensation. With each chew the fruit went from being really sweet to suddenly very sour just as Mitsu had described. "So what do you think?" He asked her.

"This is probably the most…entertaining fruit I've ever had," Ran laughed. She finished off the fruit and went to try some more. She had an apple, a fruit that almost looked like a pretzel and one that twisted around itself so much that you wouldn't know there was no center. "Wow those were good…why do these plants grow here and not anywhere else?" she asked feeling quite content with her breakfast of fruit.

"Here the soil is much richer and free of any sort of contamination," Mitsu explained as he began leading her away from the orchard. "We've been able to cultivate many sorts of vegetation here in this village. Now what would you like to see next?"

"I don't suppose you guys have a blacksmith shop here, do you?" Ran asked after some thought.

Mitsu merely smiled and once more took her hand and led her through the village. Ran noticed that they were certainly getting a lot of stares, namely from many of the female angels. Many even bid Mitsu good day as he passed by with Ran in tow. "Ah, Mitsu, when did you get back?" The angel working at the blacksmith shop asked.

Rather than being burly like Ran's father, he was rather tall and sinewy. "Just yesterday," Mitsu answered politely.

"And you didn't come to visit me? I'm wounded," the angel said with a false despondent sigh.

"Alas, I had other matters to attend to," Mitsu replied apologetically.

"I understand…just please don't go leaving me again," he said placing a hand on Mitsu's chin.

"I promise," Mitsu agreed gently moving his hand away from his chin.

"Good…so who's your little friend?"

"This is Ran…Hotaru's daughter," Mitsu explained gesturing toward Ran who was too weirded out by the guy to say anything.

"Ah…Hotaru's girl…that would explain the red hair and those gorgeously deep eyes."

"Setsuna's daughter is here also," Mitsu added.

"Really?" The blacksmith asked with interest. "Please, by all means send her to my door."

"I will try to remember… now would it be alright if we browsed your shop?" Mitsu asked getting back to the reason they were there.

"Of course, come in and look to your heart's content."

When Ran and Mitsu managed to detach themselves from the blacksmith, Ran lowered her voice. "You sure are popular."

"Oh, that's just Jinichi's way. He's extremely friendly."

"Is he… uh…"

"No he's not gay," Mitsu told her.

"That's good to know," Ran breathed.

"He's bi," Mitsu finished.

"Oh…" Ran said sighing. "Oh well…beggars can't be choosers." With that she started looking at the shelves that lined the walls filled with all sorts of different weapons. "Wow…the craftsmanship of these weapons are amazing," Ran fawned pulling one after another off the shelves and examining them closely. "Dad would have a celebration if he could see this place." Then she noticed a strange looking crossbow sitting on one of the shelves and upon closer examination found that it could sit on the user's wrist when fired. "Say Jinichi…do you think I could have this?" she called out to the blacksmith.

"Ah, you have very good taste," Jinichi said smiling. "Normally I'd charge you a hefty fee, but since you seem to be a good friend of my darling Mitsu, you can have it for free."

Ran blinked in amazement. "Really?"

"Yes, young one," he said nodding. "Mitsu, be sure to show her how to use it properly, just don't go cheating on me."

"Thank you for your kindness, Jinichi," Mitsu said quickly dragging Ran out of the store.

"Even though that guy is bi…and a little creepy…it was really cool of him to give this to me for free," Ran said holding it up to the light.

"What did you want this for anyway? You've already got your hammer," Mitsu asked curiously.

"Well…I've noticed that there were several instances where a long ranged weapon would have come in handy. Seeing as how I'm not too fast on my feet and I can't use chi…I figured it'd be nice to have something long ranged that didn't get in my way," Ran explained cheerily. "So how do I use this thing?"

Mitsu laughed softly. "There's a training ground not to far from here. I'll take you to it and we can practice there."

* * *

"The village is really amazing," Karin stated as she walked down a forest path with her father. She still hadn't decided what she was going to do, but she figured she should spend as much time with her father and Hakkai while she could. So she resolved to spend time with Setsuna for the mornings and noontimes, and then she would spend time with Hakkai during the evening and nighttimes. "Everyone seems really happy here."

"They are content if nothing else," Setsuna responded.

"How come you left?" Karin asked curiously. "I can understand when you met mom… but after you left, why didn't you stay here where it was safe?"

"After Hotaru died…I couldn't chance losing someone else close to me. I started keeping a close eye on you…until the Erasers got too close then I left for a few months. When I went back…you and Ran had left so I started looking for you again," Setsuna explained.

"So then you meeting Homura was…"

"Complete coincidence," he finished. "Though I did continue to keep watch over your party as a favor to him."

"He told me all about you and Ran's mom and Mitsu being friends."

"Yes…we were all very good friends when we lived with the gods…and even after we left," Setsuna agreed closing his eyes as if to see the good ol' days. "I know you and Ran are pretty close to Mitsu right now. Please…make sure you and Ran are wary around him."

"Why is that?" Karin asked.

"Mitsu has always had a habit of getting attached to certain people fairly easily," Setsuna said seriously. "That and he was deeply in love with Hotaru, even though she only ever saw him as a very good friend. I could be wrong, but I'm worried that he might be seeing too much of Hotaru in her daughter."

"So, he's in love with Ran?" Karin asked in disbelief.

"I'm not sure…just know that he may try to live his life with Hotaru through Ran," Setsuna explained. "Just promise you'll be careful."

"Promise," Karin said softly nodding her head.

"Right well how about we get ourselves a snack?" Setsuna asked sounding somewhat more paternal.

"Can it be cake?" Karin said excitedly.

"If that's what you want," he said with a soft smile.

* * *

"I think I'm getting better at this," Ran said after several hours of practicing shooting her new crossbow with Mitsu.

"Your aim has improved quite a bit since you first started," Mitsu complimented.

"Thanks…now I'll show Zenon the next time we meet," Ran snickered excitedly. "I can't wait to see how impressed he'll be."

"You're good friends with Zenon?" Mitsu asked surprised.

"Yeah…I guess you could say that. He's a lot of fun and he's pretty cool," Ran said smiling. "Gojyo'd probably have a hay day if he heard me say that."

Mitsu chuckled a bit but in his mind he was kind of angry that Gojyo would take such an interest. "So where to next?"

"Well…I still want to see my mother's grave," Ran said glancing from him to the ground.

Mitsu smiled softly. "Of course." He took her hand once more, this time allowing the fingers to interlace, before leading her slowly through the village. Even in the afternoon time, the village was rather peaceful. There was no hurry to get anywhere. Of course they wouldn't be in a hurry, Ran thought. They're angels so they probably live for a long time.

She watched as the different angels walked past each other exchanging pleasantries. Every once in awhile one of them would wave a greeting to Mitsu and once a young woman stopped him and asked for him to go to the tavern with her. Mitsu kindly declined and continued leading Ran toward the gravesite.

"Hey Gojyo what are you staring at?" Goku asked after noticing that he wasn't paying attention to their game of Mahjong.

"Nothing," Gojyo muttered turning away from the window. He had just seen Mitsu move his hand from Ran's and place it around her shoulder as they walked down the street. There was something that roared inside of him that he didn't quite understand but he just couldn't stand the sight of Mitsu being that close without Ran reacting at all.

"This is it," Mitsu told Ran, bringing her to a grave with lilies on it. "Water lilies were always her favorite flower."

"I know…that's why she named me like she did," Ran replied kneeling in front of her mother's grave. "Thank you…Mitsu."

"I'll leave you alone for a bit," Mitsu said smoothly as he stepped back a bit. "I'll be back in a bit okay."

"Okay…thank you." Mitsu left her staring at the grave with a mixture of depression and happiness on her face. "Hey mom…sorry I haven't been by to visit. I just recently found out about you dying. I ran into your old friends and they've been helping me and Karin out…you know Mitsu and Setsuna. Turns out I've got the same problem you did…only worse. No worries though…we'll be able to find one of those limiters and all those problems will be gone." She continued talking for some time explaining her adventures with her friends and how the rest of the family was doing.

In the meantime Mitsu went walking through town heading for the market so he could get a nice treat to cheer Ran up. He stepped out of the bakery with a pastry in hand only to be blocked by a certain red headed half demon. "Is there something you wanted?" Mitsu asked with stiff politeness.

"I don't know what it is you're planning, but keep Ran out of it," Gojyo said with a hint of threat in his voice.

"My, could these words be the fruit of jealousy I hear?" Mitsu wondered aloud.

"Don't get wise with me you little prick," Gojyo said grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"Mr. Gojyo, please. You'll cause a scene, and besides…" His eyes suddenly narrowed. "What makes you think she'd ever want to be with a disgusting, shameless half demon like you who takes such pride in his abhorrence?"Gojyo froze at his words and his hand slowly let go of the front of his shirt. "She is an angel and you are a demon…though you're only half. She needs to be with her own kind and would rather have someone who will look out for her instead of someone who'll go after anyone he sees as pretty," Mitsu continued vindictively.

"She won't stay in a place like this…she'll decide what she wants and go after it with everything she has. Whether she likes me or not doesn't matter…she won't go with someone like you though," Gojyo shot back feeling that raging beast inside of him once more.

"We'll see won't we?"

"I don't see what the big deal is. Karin and Hakkai are together and they get along just fine," Gojyo challenged.

"Karin is like her father… a fool and a lost cause. She has allowed herself to be brainwashed by the demon scum whose amount of sins would damn this entire village."

Gojyo pulled his fist back ready to slam it into Mitsu's face. "Ah Mitsu…Gojyo isn't it. I do hope that everything is going well," Isamu said stopping Gojyo in his tracks.

"Everything is just fine Isamu," Mitsu replied respectfully. "We were just having a friendly little chat. Now if you'll excuse me I promised I'd return to Ran after a short break." With that he left Gojyo steaming in the street.

* * *

"Achoo!" Karin sneezed.

"That was quite a sneeze," Hakkai remarked. "You're not coming down with something are you?"

"I don't think so," Karin said rubbing her nose a little.

"So, did you enjoy spending the day with your father?" He asked as they sat together on the bed leaned back against the frame.

"Yeah, I finally feel like I'm making some connection with him. Used to, even though I always wanted to find him, I didn't ever think I could bring myself to like him."

"Well I'm glad you are able to make that connection," Hakkai said rubbing the top of her head. "So now that you're getting to know him a little better what do you think?"

"I can understand why my mom was still in love with him. But still living with that fact was painful," Karin replied looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry that such a thing happened…is there any chance you could forgive him for that?"

"I don't know. All my life when I was living with my mom she always looked at me as if I was him. Sometimes I think that if he had been there she would never have looked at me at all," Karin said sadly.

"What is in the past can't be helped…but I hope that you'll be able to have a future with your father," Hakkai said pulling her into a comforting hug.

"I hope so too," Karin murmured. "Actually, when I think about my mom I can't help but think that you and she had the same eyes. When I was taken by those demons, I learned why." She rested her head against his chest. "I want to know more about you, Hakkai. The good and the bad."

"Well then… shall I start from the beginning?"

* * *

"I'm back. Did you and your mother have a nice chat?" Mitsu asked coming up behind Ran.

"Yeah…I was able to tell her everything that's happened since she left. I'm sure she'd love to meet my friends…though I doubt all of them would want to see her grave," Ran replied holding back her sadness.

"Here I brought you something that might cheer you up a bit," Mitsu said holding out the pastry in his hand. Ran turned to look and saw to her amusement an angel fruit cake.

"Haha…thanks Mitsu…that's just what I needed." She took the cake and started eating it…then took off a piece and placed it on her mother's grave. "Here mom…you'll love this…it's really good."

"She would be proud of you if she could see you now," Mitsu told her.

"You really think so?" Ran asked.

"I'm sure of it," Mitsu said. Then he suddenly changed the subject. "So after you find what you're looking for, what do you plan to do?"

Ran considered for a moment. "I haven't thought that far."

"Perhaps you should return here," Mitsu told her. "I can promise you would be happy here, and safe as well."

"Thanks for the offer…but I can't stay here," Ran said slowly. "Here I'm known to be a taboo and I know that's how they see me. They might not blame me for what happened but I can see the looks they give me when I pass. I can't live like that day by day."

"You wouldn't have to worry about that," Mitsu insisted. "They merely look at you that way because you're Hotaru's daughter. After a little time they would accept you as one of them, I'm sure of it."

"I don't think so. They might be angels but that doesn't mean they'll accept me any better than humans do half demons," Ran said sadly.

Mitsu cupped her cheek. "I have."

"Well, it's good to know somebody does."

"You don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks of you… I'm here now." As Ran looked up at him she felt as if her tongue had gotten stuck to the roof of her mouth. She could not break away from his intense honey brown eyes as he opened his mouth and began to sing softly.

_"Speak my friend, you look surprised_  
_I thought you knew I'd come disguised_  
_On angel wings...in white_  
_I can make your dreams come true_  
_What a couple...me and you_  
_On journey through the night."_

He took her hand and began leading her away from the graveyard, and she followed without resistance as he continued to sing, his voice shaking the very core of her being.

_"I will show you everything so vividly_  
_You can't deny me."_

Ran's head started to buzz and all ability to think started to fade as she continued to follow him obediently.

_Bathed in moonlight_  
_I'm proclaimed by angels cry_  
_Think well_  
_Do take your time_  
_because your soul_  
_will be mine the day you die_

They had reached the edge of town and Mitsu stopped turning to her and gently stroked her cheek as he sang to her. She closed her eyes at the contact and breathed deeply as her heart sped up.

_Name a pleasure, one...a few_  
_Any form of lust in you_  
_Will tremble at my touch_  
_I come down from heaven's light_  
_I have all the perfect alibis_  
_There's so much_

As he moved onto the next line his hand moved gently through her hair causing her to tremble involuntarily. A few angels caught wind of his song and began to wonder who it was that he was declaring his love for.

_I will show you everything so vividly_  
_You won't deny me_

Setsuna suddenly caught the song recognizing it as Mitsu's voice and hurried to find him…worried about what he might be planning.

_Call my name or carry on_  
_'Till that last resistance gone_  
_I'm sure we'll meet again_

_I'm your true disciple_  
_When the flesh desires_  
_You won't deny me_

Gojyo looked out the inn window and spotted the two of them at the edge of town and watched as Ran seemed to swoon as his touch.

_Bathed in moonlight_  
_I'm proclaimed by angels cry_  
_Think well_  
_Do take your time_  
_because your soul_  
_will be mine the day you die_

Hakkai and Karin both noticed the last strains of the song and looked out the window in curiosity just in time to see Mitsu bend down and kiss Ran. She completely froze surprised by his sudden move and unable to think after the intense song.

Gojyo stared in utter shock as he watched the spectacle, all the while wondering why she wasn't pushing him away. Finally he had had enough and tore his eyes away from the sight, walking upstairs to his room. On his way he bumped into Karin almost knocking her down but Hakkai caught her.

"Sorry," Gojyo muttered, walking past.

"Gojyo…" Karin said reaching out to stop him despite knowing that he probably wasn't in the best of moods, but she didn't want him to do something drastic.

Gojyo pulled away from her and continued to his room slamming the door once he got in. "I hoped it wasn't that," Hakkai sighed. "He must have caught that little spectacle and blew a fuse."

"I hope he'll be okay," Karin mumbled sadly.

"It's Gojyo…he always manages to bounce back," Hakkai told her reassuringly. Though he too couldn't help but marvel at how personally Gojyo was taking this. "It's probably best if we don't get involved at the moment."

"Okay," Karin agreed.

* * *

Ran's mind was in a complete haze. She couldn't remember ever feeling this alive before. Every particle of her body screamed with pleasure with just this kiss. But a voice kept tugging at her from the back of her mind, telling her that this was wrong. But how could something so wonderful be wrong? Its Mitsu… he's kissing me… not Gojyo but Mitsu. Just as her brain was starting to process that fact, Mitsu suddenly broke away from her.

"Mitsu, just what do you think you're doing?" Setsuna's hard voice cut through Ran's fog and her thinking was beginning to clear up.

"I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me. It must have been the beauty that was in front of me that made me lose myself," Mitsu replied feeling like having Setsuna find out being that last thing he wanted.

"Never in all my years would I expect to see you fall so far Mitsu," Setsuna said shaking his head in disappointment. "I know how much you care about her, but Ran is not Hotaru and never can be. Stop living in the past and move on already."

"I'm seeing Ran for who she is…Hotaru has nothing to do with the feelings I have right now. I have not fallen as much as you…not even letting your own daughter know who you are," Mitsu shot back as Ran's mind started to come back to normal.

"This isn't about me," Setsuna stated.

"You're right, it's not about you and it doesn't concern you," Mitsu replied.

"Your childishness in astounding," Setsuna sighed heavily.

"I have nothing more to say to you," Mitsu declared before turning to leave. As he passed Ran he whispered to her softly, causing her heart to jump. "I'll see you tomorrow." And he was gone.

Ran couldn't explain it but something about his voice and touch just made her melt and lose all ability to move or think. When she finally managed to gain control of herself she found the other angels staring at her and Setsuna was gone. Her face turned really red and she quickly went back to the inn to cool herself down and to get away from the stares.

"Are you okay Ran?" Karin asked as Ran leaned against the inside of the door sighing.

Ran didn't say anything. She had barely even heard Karin's question. All she could think about was Mitsu singing. It had been so wondrous, yet she couldn't remember any of the words to it. "Ran?" Karin asked again.

"I'm fine," Ran mumbled.

"Well, I don't think Gojyo is," Karin told her.

Ran's head shot up. "What do you mean?"

"He just marched up the stairs and slammed his door…hasn't made a sound since," Hakkai explained.

Ran looked back at the ground, "Did he see that…did that really…hurt him?" she thought sadly.

"Maybe you should talk to him…I think it would do both of you some good," Karin suggested softly.

"You might be right," Ran muttered feeling confused, angry, sad, and uncertain all at once. She moved from the door and headed up stairs still feeling the haze float through her brain and shook her head to try to clear it. When she stopped she found herself in front of Gojyo's door and hesitated.

She took a deep breath and raised her fist to knock. Before her hand could make contact with the door, it opened and her fist made contact with Gojyo's face instead.

"OUCH," Gojyo shouted holding his nose.

Ran looked up with a sheepish smile, "Oops…sorry. I was just about to knock and…I didn't expect you to open the door."

"It's alright…I've grown used to your hits," Gojyo muttered looking at her awkward face. "What did you want?"

"I…wanted to talk to you for a moment. Can I come in or is this a bad time?" Ran asked looking to the ground.

"Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth." Seeing the look on her face he sighed before stepping to one side. "Well, I've never refused a woman before. Come on in."

Ran walked past him slowly and feeling very strange sat down on the edge of his bed. "Gojyo…I heard about you getting mad from Hakkai and Karin. Did you see what happened out there?" Ran asked holding onto her own arms.

"Yeah, I saw," Gojyo replied shortly, lighting up a cigarette. "So you scored with golden boy. Congratulations."

Ran winced at the lack of feeling in his voice. "It wasn't what it looked like."

"Really?" Gojyo asked sounding skeptical. "Did he force you? Because you seemed pretty dang willing."

"Gojyo knock it off. Look I really don't know what happened back there. My brain was all fuzzy and I couldn't think straight…by the time I got a hold of myself it was over, Mitsu was gone, and people were staring at me," Ran explained.

"Did he slip you something?" Gojyo asked angrily.

"No he didn't slip me anything…I was just fine until a little while ago," Ran told him put down slightly.

"What you're saying doesn't make any sense," Gojyo said shaking his head.

"I know it doesn't… but… I don't know what to say except that I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter…if you really like him I won't get in your way," Gojyo muttered without looking at her.

"Gojyo I don't like him like that. He's a good friend but that's it. He's old enough to be my uncle after all…and he was best friends with my mom. I'll only ever see him as a friend," Ran said mad that he was taking it so harshly.

"Like me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ran was knocked for six by his sudden implication but recovered herself and took a deep breath. "You know… I never said yay or nay to you. It' just… I don't think that's the best thing for either of us right now."

Gojyo grunted in response but started to feel a little better. "Look…I'm going to give you an answer. I just want to continue being friends until then," Ran continued grabbing onto his arm to get him to know how much it meant to her.

He turned to look and saw her eyes looking at him with such sincerity that he couldn't turn away. "Alright…we can still be friends…but you did promise to give me an answer," Gojyo said smiling.

"I know…and I never break a promise," Ran said smiling as well. Then without warning she wrapped her arms around him giving him a big hug then rushed out the door. "Come on Gojyo…it's time for dinner and if you don't hurry up Goku'll eat it all."

Gojyo chuckled and stood up. "Not if I can help it."

* * *

CM: How will Ran deal with this? And can Karin find SOME way around her fate before the dreaded day comes? Stay tuned!

Side note: The song in this chapter is by Kamelot, I do not own it.


	23. Cause and Affect

**Cause and Affect- The Preceeding Generation**

The next morning, Ran heard her name being called. She opened her eyes and glanced around but saw no one. She recognized the voice though. "Mitsu?" She got up and went to the window, but upon looking around she saw he wasn't there. She felt disappointment sink in, though she wasn't sure why.

Realizing what time it was she quickly got dressed and went down stairs. "Hey guys…what's for breakfast?" Ran asked once she reached the dining room.

"Whatever you desire," a voice said in her ear. Ran turned around and saw Mitsu standing there. "I brought some more fruit if you'd like," he said handing her the spiral one.

"Thanks Mitsu…these are really good," she said taking the fruit and smiling widely at him.

"I'm glad they are to your liking," he said smiling. "After breakfast did you want to see more of the village?"

Ran nodded eagerly. "Definitely."

* * *

"Gojyo, I thought you ought to know that if you keep on like that your face is going to match your hair," Hakkai pointed out to the fuming red head.

"Hey Ran! You gotta try some of these buns, they're really good!"

"She would love to, but unfortunately we have much to do before the day is out, right Ran?" Mitsu asked with a smile that seemed to light up the entire room.

"Yeah… that's right," she said, fumbling a bit. Sanzo glanced up from his beer for a second before going back to drinking.

"Hey Sanzo…what's wrong with Ran? She always like's having breakfast with us," Goku asked as they watched Ran leave with Mitsu…his arm around her shoulder.

"I don't know…I don't care. She can do what she wants," Sanzo grumbled still focusing on his drink.

"Is she dating Mitsu now? Ha, no wonder Gojyo's been so angry lately," Goku laughed as Gojyo's face continued to turn red.

"I'm sure she's fine...at least for now," Hakkai said reassuringly.

"By the way, where's Karin?" Goku asked.

"She's with her father right now," Hakkai informed him.

"I don't see why she insists on spending so much time with him if she's going to end up killing him in a couple days," Sanzo muttered.

"I think that might be precisely why she's spending time with him," Hakkai nodded.

"Idiot, it'll only make it harder for her in the end. Better to kill someone you don't know than someone you're emotionally attached to."

"Still…"

"Hey, those are mine!" Goku shouted at Gojyo who had taken a bun.

"You were just offering one up a minute ago!" Gojyo shouted.

"Yeah, but not to YOU!"

"I don't care you weren't eating it so it's mine now," Gojyo shouted back.

"I was too eating that. Hey," Goku shouted as Gojyo shoved the bun in his mouth.

"You want it back now monkey boy?" Gojyo asked mockingly opening his mouth and showing the half chewed food.

"I don't want it back now you stupid water sprite…that's just gross," Goku exclaimed as Gojyo laughed.

"Shut your mouth and finish eating already or you'll be eating lead," Sanzo said pulling out his gun only to be stopped by Hakkai.

"Remember…it's not such a great idea to bring that out while we're here," Hakkai said keeping the weapon hidden.

"Tch," Sanzo scoffed but took his hand away from the gun and sat back down.

"Hey Sanzo, can we go visit Reira and Etsuko again?" Goku asked hopefully.

"We were there all day yesterday," Sanzo groaned.

"I know, but Reira promised me that she was going to teach me how to cook. Besides, you looked like you were having fun hanging out with Etsuko."

"What's this? Could it be that the cold, unfriendly Sanzo has finally found a lady friend?" Hakkai asked with teasing interest.

"Shut up. I have no interest in women," Sanzo growled angrily.

"Hey Goku…are you coming to see me again?" Reira shouted coming out of nowhere and hugging Goku from behind. "I've got some great recipes for us to cook together."

"You bet!" Goku replied eagerly.

"I'm sorry if we disturbed your breakfast," Etsuko apologized, stepping into the room. "My sister is nuts."

"The monkey isn't exactly the depiction of sanity either," Sanzo muttered.

"Well you guys are free to come over any time. I have the Majhong table already set up."

"Whatever," Sanzo sighed but got up from his seat at the table.

"Leaving so soon?" Hakkai asked innocently.

"The celestial runt pestered me into teaching her how to play majhong. But she has good wine at her place so it's not a total loss."

"Hey, I am not a runt," Etsuko protested.

"Well have fun you two," Hakkai said innocently.

"Yeah…tell me how it goes with your new girlfriends," Gojyo added vindictively.

Sanzo almost brought out his gun but changed his mind halfway there and pulled out his fan instead whacking him over the head. "Shut up…why don't you worry about your little friend who seems to care for someone else," Sanzo grumbled irately. Gojyo looked the other way as his face turned beat red. Hakkai couldn't help but laugh as Sanzo and Goku left with Reira and Etsuko.

* * *

"Wow…this place is…pink," Ran exclaimed stunned once she entered the shop. Mitsu hadn't told her where they were going so she was a little surprised by its pinkness.

"What can I do for you?" A deep bass like voice that seemed to shake the room asked. Ran turned to see a hulking man with ebony colored skin and eyes hidden behind sunglasses despite the fact they were inside.

"Good morning Kogaru," Mitsu greeted. "We'd like to take a look at some of your wares."

"Well…then help yourselves," Kogaru replied with a smile. "Everything is over here. You shopping for the lady Mitsu?"

"Exactly…as you can see her clothes have fallen into disrepair and is in need of something new," Mitsu replied.

"Wait Mitsu…this is a clothing shop? You don't have to get me anything more…you already got me the crossbow and you showed me around…this would be asking for too much," Ran said putting her hands up.

Mitsu gently took hold of her face. "Nothing is too much for the daughter of a dear friend," Mitsu told her softly. For a few moments, Ran was robbed of the ability to speak. Finally she managed to stutter out an 'okay', before Mitsu urged her to go try on some dresses.

"Always the charmer, Mitsu," Kogaru laughed, shaking his head. "Still, I don't think I've ever seen you looking this cheerful."

"Oh…I have every reason to be cheerful," Mitsu said as he waited for Ran to finish changing. "This is Hotaru's daughter…and she is just like her."

"I see that's why she seemed so familiar. This is just a friendly gesture though right Mitsu…I'd hate to see that girl get hurt," Kogaru said seriously.

"Do you think me so cruel as to harm such a precious creature?" Mitsu said looking rather affronted.

"Not intentionally, of course," Kogaru said. "But you have a tendency of getting carried away."

"I've already had my hand slapped," Mitsu said with a smile. "So you needn't concern yourself."

Kogaru shrugged his shoulders and turned as the curtains parted and Ran walked out. She was wearing an elegant dress that descended all the way to the floor covering up her feet. It was a red and black colored and hung at the end of her shoulders before flowing flawlessly down her body closely fit.

"So what do you think?" Ran asked embarrassed pulling the dress up slightly so she could look at her feet.

Mitsu's eyes softened. "I think you would make the merciful goddess herself jealous if she could see you now."

Ran turned a deep scarlet. "Thanks," she murmured.

Mitsu turned to Kogaru. "How much?"

Kogaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, since you've helped me out of a few tight spots in the past, I'll give you a discount."

"Um… would it be okay if we got a dress for Karin too?" Ran asked Mitsu timidly. "I know all her measurements and I think I have an idea of what she might like."

Mitsu looked at her for a moment before sighing. "Yes, that would be fine."

"Alright…two dresses for you would be…50,000 yen," Kogaru answered ringing up the price. Ran's mouth dropped hearing the price and started thinking about not getting one at all.

"No problem," Mitsu said pulling out some money and handing it to Kogaru. "That should be enough."

"That's jut fine," Kogaru replied taking the money and putting it away. "Now what are your friend's measurements so I can pick one out for her?"

Ran told Kogaru Karin's measurements as well as her favorite color. When Kogaru told her it would be easier if he knew what she looked like, Ran told him that she was Setsuna's daughter, if that helped.

"Oh so she's the one that's been roaming around with Setsuna lately. In that case I'll be back in a jiffy," he said walking back into the shop. Several moments of silence followed making Ran very self-conscious as Mitsu stared at her, this was broken however as Kogaru returned and held out a long beautiful blue dress that also hung off the shoulders. "The two of you will look almost like twins in these," he said smiling.

Ran laughed. "Well, some people have mistaken us for sisters. I think she'll love it. And Hakkai probably will too," she added as an afterthought.

"Well, if we should meet again, please tell me how it suits her," Kogaru told her, carefully handing her the dress.

"Don't worry I will. Could you hold onto this for a moment Mitsu while I change back into my normal clothes," Ran said offering him the dress.

"Wouldn't it be more fun if you wore that all day?" Mitsu asked innocently.

"It would…" Ran murmured looking around.

"Why not…I'll keep your clothes safe and give them a patch job. This way you'll have a reason to come back," Kogaru said smiling.

"You sure…how much extra would that cost?"

"No extra charge…besides…you really need the patch job."

"Thank you," Ran said bowing to him.

Once the business was done, Mitsu led Ran out of the shop by the hand. Ran felt a little self conscious at all the stares she was getting, but an encouraging smile from Mitsu washed all of her insecurities away. "So where to next?"

"Well, we do need to get this dress to Karin," Ran said.

"Alright, we can just drop it off at the inn," Mitsu agreed after a moment.

When they got to the inn, sure enough, Hakkai was there with Hakuryuu, relaxing. "Oh, hello Ran," Hakkai acknowledge as the two approached. "You're back earlier than expected."

"Just dropping something off. Here you go," she told him handing him the dress.

"I appreciate the gesture but I don't think blue is really my color," Hakkai said holding up the dress.

"Haha…it's for Karin. I don't know where she is right now so I figured it'd be easier to drop it off with you…you know since she'll be with you later," Ran laughed.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to get it to her," Hakkai promised. "By the way Ran…that dress looks very nice on you."

"Thanks…I'm kind of hoping Gojyo get's to see it before I decide to take it off," Ran said smiling. "Well I'll see you later Hakkai." With that she left with Mitsu his hand around her shoulder again.

Hakkai watched the pair leave before exhaling a small sigh. "Why do I have the feeling that something just isn't right about this?"

"Kyou!" Hakuryuu cried flapping his wings a little.

"You're right. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Here dad, I brought you a present," Karin said holding out a handful of chocolates.

"So I've been upgraded to 'dad' on the second day?" Setsuna thought staring at the chocolates as if they were radioactive spiders. "Thanks," he said taking the chocolates gingerly. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had something like this?" he asked looking at them. "At least since I left your mom."

Karin gasped before hugging him sympathetically. "You poor, poor man. No wonder you're so cold and bitter. Quick, we must sanctify your soul."

Setsuna chuckled a little, "No sanctification needed. The reason I've become like this is because of all the deaths I've seen at the hands of the Erasers."

"You know you really know how to bring a mood down," Karin sighed. "Don't you know what a joke is?"

"My apologies but I know you've been wondering about that and I thought it would be good for you to know," Setsuna replied taking one of the chocolates and putting it in his mouth.

"Yeah, I did always wonder. Any chances of you reverting back?" She asked with anticipation.

"I find that highly unlikely," he answered.

"Well, I guess that's okay. You're cool the way you are." Setsuna chuckled a little at this. "Speaking of changing personalities, Ran's been acting kind of off lately."

"What do you mean?" Setsuna asked glancing back at her.

"Well…she's been hanging around Mitsu an awful lot and she seems to do everything he wants to do," Karin explained.

"I was afraid of that," Setsuna muttered.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked worriedly.

"As I'm sure you've noticed an angle's song can be very influential on the mind. That song Mitsu sang to Ran…because she has human blood…brought her under his influence," Setsuna explained with a sigh.

"So she's being controlled?" Karin asked.

"Not controlled, it would be more accurate to say that her mind is open to his suggestion," Setsuna inferred.

"Should we do something to interfere?" Karin asked worriedly.

"There isn't much we can do at this point. I honestly don't think he means to harm her, and Mitsu isn't doing anything wrong as far as village standards are concerned. Here it's ritual for an angel to express their affection through the use of song."

"So does that mean he's in love with her?" Karin said, eyes growing wide.

"I don't think so. He was in love with her mother and might be trying to live out their lost lives together through her," Setsuna explained sadly. "Unfortunately that might mean he'll try to convince her to stay here…I'm not sure whether that would be a good idea or not…both for her sake and the villages."

"Poor Ran… and poor Bishi-kun," Karin sympathized.

Setsuna almost laughed. Hotaru used to call Mitsu that very same thing. "Just keep a close eye on her."

"Alright, I will," Karin assured him. "You can count on me daddy!"

"Sometimes I think you're trying to get me on edge," Setsuna muttered shaking his head.

"That's just because I love you," Karin replied with a big smile and a bear hug.

"You're a lot like me…but that came from your mom," Setsuna sighed placing a hand on her head.

* * *

Sanzo and Goku's day with Reira and Etsuko

* * *

The sun was getting low in the western sky, as Setsuna and Karin walked back toward the inn. Setsuna had his hand on her shoulder in a fatherly manner and they were both wearing pleasant expressions. As they entered, they discovered that Hakkai was sitting at one of the tables, apparently waiting for them. "Oh, Hakkai, what a surprise," Karin exclaimed. "I didn't expect you to be back for a little while longer." Setsuna's and Hakkai's eyes met and they stared at each other, the atmosphere growing tense. "Um...I'm getting a little hungry, so why don't you two sit down and relax while I get us something to eat?" With that she quickly exited the room to leave the two alone.

"I must say, your daughter is quite devious in her own right," Hakkai commented pleasantly.

"She gets it from her mother," Setsuna stated flatly.

"I would say that from the look in yor eye, you have several choice words for me," Hakkai said, getting to the point.

"Most of what I have to say has already been conveyed," Setsuna stated taking a seat. "But, I want to make one thing clear; if you bring her to harm I will make sure all your sins come to an end."

"I would die first," Hakkai said without hesitation. "I already realize that you and any other person in this village believe me to be unfit to be with Karin. But the truth is, I already knew this long before. I've tried distancing myself, but I simply cannot. She has become my world, and I'll do anything I can to keep her safe."

"Like the incident with those cousins of the Yakugenmau?" Setsuna asked. "She was almost lost, in more ways than one. If that is your sense of protection then I'd rather see her with a human."

"I have no excuse," Hakkai admitted. "That was something entirely unforeseen. I've made my share of mistakes, and because of that, she was hurt. I hate myself for it every minute of the day. Yet she's still able to embrace me without any fear or revulsion."

"Yes, like her mother, even if she's been hurt by the one she loves, she'll still love them," Setsuna murmured sadly. Then he hardened his eyes and stared intently at the demon. "One last thing, if this was your choice to make, what would you have her do?"

"I am merely a demon, not a god. I could never direct her in any direction," Hakkai stated honestly. "Because she is far too strong of a woman to be directed by anyone. I can only support her in what she decides, however…" His face darkened slightly. "I will not allow to suffer, not even by her own hand."

Silence fell on the two after this statement, and a small smile slowly found its way onto the angel's face. "If you keep that idea, then you may just be the right man for the job," he murmured. "I'll trust my one and only daughter to you...but only as long as you feel that way."

"To be honest, I was never going to ask for your permission," Hakkai sad smiling. "But I will take your blessing."

* * *

"Thanks for showing me around Mitsu," Ran said gratefully after the two had wandered about nearly the entire day. "I'm sorry that I'm taking up so much of your time."

"That's quite alright," Mitsu assured her. "To be honest things are usually so dull around here, so it's nice to have a change of routine."

"Well I'm glad I could be of some help," Ran replied happily.

"Oh you've been more than just some…help," Mitsu assured her softly. Ran smiled at the ground her face turning red again. "And might I add that that dress really looks stunning on you."

"You've said that at least a dozen times already," Ran told him as her self consciousness set on again.

"Forgive me, I suppose I'm doing that on purpose," Mitsu said with a soft chuckle. "You're rather cute when you blush." This only caused Ran to blush even harder. "Hehe, see, you're doing it again," Mitsu laughed reaching up and tickling her beneath her chin.

Ran reached up and grabbed his hand and started to move it from her face. Then Mitsu whispered something that made her hand tremble and drop leaving him free to gently stroke her cheek.

"Am I interrupting something?" A hard voice asked.

Mitsu's hand withdrew from Ran's cheek and Ran looked to see Gojyo standing a few feet away from them. "Well Hello," Mitsu addressed him. "Lovely day isn't it?"

"Yeah…it is nice," Gojyo replied coldly. "Where are the two of you headed now?"

"Nowhere in particular…we were just roaming around finding pleasure in the sights," Mitsu replied as his left hand moved from where it was on Ran's shoulder to her waist. Ran felt his movement and alarm bells went off in her head but the sound of his voice kept her from moving…at all. "Is there something that you wanted here…water sprite?"

Gojyo wanted to hit the guy but he kept his cool. "Nothing from you, golden boy," he retorted. He gave Ran a questioning glanced before leaving once more.

Ran felt a turmoil rising up inside of her and she wanted to go after him, but Mitsu whispered gently in her ear. "Don't worry about him, he's not worth the fuss." "

Ran's head still turned toward Gojyo's fleeing back and something in her desperately wanted to shout after him…to get him to stop but then her mind went blank once again as Mitsu whispered tenderly into her ear. Then she followed him down the street like an obedient puppy.

* * *

Setsuna left the inn as the last rays of sunlight faded from view and the stars were beginning to make themselves known. Setsuna never gave them much thought until now. Being alive for so long, you tended to lose sight of the simplier joys in life. However, tonight was possibly his last night to view them. His fate as well as the fate of his only living flesh and blood, would together be decided the following morning. He was on his way to have a word with the village elder, when a crude voice, easily discernable since angels' voices were never crude or vulgar as this one was, reached his ears and the distinguishable mane of red steadily moved towards him, equally red eyes narrowed in anger. Setsuna would be honest in stating that he had little interest with the frustrations of the half demon, but that mattered little when the said half-breed spotted him.

"Oi, pops! I have to talk to you!" Gojyo stated harshly.

"As disrespectful as always I see," Setsuna muttered. "At least the other one has manners."

"Look, I'm just in a bad mood right now," the half demon declared. "I have a few questions for you and I want them answered or I might just start reverting back to my base instincts."

"Would these include smoking, drinking, and sleeping with every willing woman you encounter?" Setsuna asked calmly.

"No, I want to know why that damn angel feels the need to have his hands all over Ran all the time," Gojyo retorted.

"So that's what this was about. I should have known." Setsuna released a sigh before turning. "Come with me."

This made Gojyo pause. "What?"

"I am not about to speak of such matters where they can easily be heard by unseen ears," Setsuna replied as he began walking. "You will come if you truly desire asnwers to your questions."

Gojyo didn't want to play things by the angel's rules, but his desire to learn the truth won out. So he followed Karin's father out of the village and over to a large area where pieces of stone stuck up in the air. He noticed that names were written on the stone slabs and realized that this was the graveyard. He wanted to ask why they were there, but decided he didn't need to when the older man stopped in front of a tombstone with the name HOTARU carved into it.

"So, this is her mom?" he asked feeling his anger seep away.

Setsuna nodded in reply. "It's not really something you need to know, but it might help you understand Mitsu's position." And so Setsuna first began telling Gojyo about the upheaval in heaven, when the eradication of angel began. "Mitsu had a younger sister, Midori, who died during the massacre. Mitsu was distraught and he clung to Hotaru who comforted him through his loss. He began to develope strong feelings for he that were never requited. After many, many years, Hotaru and I met Karin's mother and Ran's father. We fell in love. Mitsu found it to be sacriligious, and for a while he left us."

"So then did he come here for the rest of the time?" Gojyo asked not really understanding why he was explaining this part and not really wanting to know about the lost sister.

"No, and I would appreciate it if you kept any questions or comments to yourself until I'm finished," Setsuna replied. "Now then, Hotaru and I moved to a small valley with our new families and began a life there. I was surprised to see Hotaru taking to her role as a mother so well, what with suddenly having three children. Then the day came where she had Ran and a few months later, I too became a parent." He sighed heavily remembering the day. "Unlike Hotaru, I didn't take to being a father so well and left shortly after her birth. After that I only watched from afar."

"Nice parenting skills," Goyjo remarked.

Setsuna ignored him and simply continued. "Many years later, Karin's mother fell ill and passed away. I came to the funeral to say my goodbyes, and Hotaru offered me solice. However, not long after, Mitsu came to us in a panic, and that's when things took the worst turn imaginable..."

**FLASHBACK**

"Hotaru, Setsuna, we have to get out of here," Mitsu exclaimed in a panic. "There are some Erasers nearbye that are heading this way. They've reached the surrounding mountains and there's no telling how long it will take them to find this village."

"No, if they find Ran and Karin now...alright, but allow me enough time to say goodbye first," Hotaru pleaded. "I won't take long...I just can't leave without explaining the situation."

"Okay, but you need to hurry," Mitsu pleaded. "I'll keep an eye on them until you're ready to leave." He took off after that, wings spread wide...as he flew away.

"Setsuna, you should at least see her before you go, there's no telling when the next time we'll be able to return will be," Hotaru pressed placing a caring hand on his shoulder. "The next time you see your daughter, she may be a full grown woman."

Setsuna faltered before shaking his head. "I cannot. Even if I did, she would not recognize me. There is no point in seeing her only to leave again."

"I do wish you'd reconsider, my old friend," Hotaru murmured softly. "But I know your stubborn streak is almost as terrible as my own. I won't press the matter, but if you don't go then at least accompany Mitsu and help him keep out of trouble."

"That much I can do," Setsuna replied before leaving her company. He waited outside the village with the anxious Mitsu.

"Where is she?" he asked fretfully, and after hearing this question repeated numerous times, Setsuna was having irritation added onto his own anxiety.

"She's saying goodbye, I'm sure she's taking the needed time to explain what's happening to her husband," Setsuna pointed out. "She's never been one to leave loose ends untied."

"I don't understand why she can't just tell him she needs to leave and leave it at that?" Mitsu exclaimed.

"You know her better than that, Mitsu. She cares too much about her family to leave in such a manner," Setsuna replied.

Mitsu was about to further argue the point, when Hotaru at last arrived, and after a very brief exchange, the three departed.

**FLASHBACK INTERMISSION**

"We led the Erasers away from the village so that Ran and Karin's existence would remain undiscovered," Setsuna conveyed to the half demon who had lit up a cigarette halfway through the story.

"And came here, right?" he asked.

"We tried to...but we didn't count on them being as fast as they were, and after getting halfway here, they caught up to us," the angel explained. "Three of them in one go proved to be too much for us to contain. If it was one or two, we could join forces to fight against them, but with it being one on one, we were quickly overpowered."

**FLASHBACK CONTINUED**

"Mitsu, Setsuna!" Hotaru exclaimed managing to reach her two friends and pull them out of harms way. She panted hard, finding her energy growing weaker. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but we won't be for long," Setsuna muttered. "They're too strong."

"We need to run while we have the chance," Mitsu added.

"You're right, you two go on ahead," Hotaru murmured getting to her feet. "I'll finish this. Setsuna, Mitsu.... please look after Ran and Karin."

"Hotaru, what are you saying?" Mitsu asked in horror.

Setsuna understood, and he nodded. "You have my word."

"Setsuna! You can't let her do this!" Mitsu exclaimed.

"Thank you, please...just be safe," Hotaru breathed before getting to her feet and turning to the three attackers. "I won't allow you to harm them any longer." As she spoke, her voice grew louder and her body started to glow with the appearance of her wings. "I will stop you here and now!"

"No, Hotaru!"

Mitsu tried to go forward to help her, but Setsuna held him back. There was a growth of energy, before the entire area exploded in a plethora of blinding orange light.

FLASHBACK INTERMISSION TWO

"Hotaru gave her life to see that we escape with ours." Setsuna's voice had grown weary, as if remembering the incident drained him.

"So that light, was it an explosion or something?" Gojyo asked in confusion.

"No, she released all of her energy at once in a formidable attack that eliminated the Erasers...but she had no life force left when it ended," Setsuna sighed wearily. "Mitsu was distraight over her death, and I ended up having to carry both to the village of angels. A funeral was held, and shortly afterwards I set out to do what Hotaru had asked of me."

FLASHBACK CONTINUED

"Setsuna! Wait, you can't leave me here!"

Despite his efforts to leave the village without notice, Mitsu had charged after him blindly. "Mitsu, you need to stay here in the village."

"But why?" Mitsu asked. "Why must I stay while you risk your life once again?"

"Mitsu, you're not well. You need to stay here and recover."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Mitsu snapped. "I have every right... Hotaru..."

"Would not want you to dive right back into the fray blindly," Setsuna cut in. "In your state you'd be a burden to yourself an me. Unless you can pull yourself together, you will not be allowed to help in the effort to protect Ran or Karin."

"You can't just leave me here," Mitsu said, voice shaking.

"I'm sorry, Mitsu, but it's for the best," Setsuna muttered. "You have to find the strength to move on, and I can't help you with that."

"But, I made the promise to Hotaru to help look after Ran. How can I do that if I'm here?" Mitsu demanded desperately.

"Then straighten yourself out, but you won't be allowed to assist me until then," the dark haired angel declared. He then turned on his heels and left with the fair haired angel screaming at him, pleading with him not to leave him alone. Setsuna forced himself to keep walking, convincing himself that he made the right choice.

END FLASHBACK

"That was the last time I saw him until recently, just before your arrival. Needless to say, I possibly did him more damage than good," Setsuna finished.

Gojyo left after that, having heard all he needed to and not wanting to bother the angel any longer than he already had. Walking back to the inn, he mulled over everything he learned. "Hmm...maybe I should give the guy the benefit of a doubt. He does at least care about her, I just hope it doesn't really turn into anything more."

* * *

CM: What will become of Ran and Mitsu? And what about Hakkai's relationship with Karin? With the trial drawing closer, can they manage to salvage what precious time they have left? Stay tuned! And thanks for reading. You guys are wonderful. ^_^


	24. Live and Learn

**Live and Learn-Through Trial and Error**

"Ahaha! So I never would've imagined you were such a brooding child," Karin giggled, as she imagined a mini Hakkai with a pouting face.

"Yes well back then I was angry at everyone who was happy because I thought I shouldn't be after my parents' deaths," Hakkai replied.

"Well we would have gotten along fabulously…I was very violent as a child," Karin told him with a laugh.

"Really…that's very hard to imagine considering what a pacifist you are," Hakkai chuckled ruffling her hair.

"Hehe, yeah, I guess we're both compensating now for what we weren't as children," Karin hypothesized.

"It's possible," Hakkai agreed.

"So tell me… what was Kanan like?" She asked gently.

"She was… incredible. She was kind and compassionate… I feel like words can't even describe her. She was my world," Hakkai confessed. "After she died, I thought that falling in love with someone else would be an insult to her memory."

"I see…" Karin said, taking it with a grain of salt.

"But after all is said and done…I'm glad I was able to," Hakkai told her smiling.

"Well, knowing me, I probably wouldn't have minded being second best," Karin confessed. "I'm pretty hopeless in that sense… and selfish too."

"You could never be second best," Hakkai whispered pulling her close to him. "You are special to me and nothing can replace you."

Karin hugged him tightly. "I've been given until tomorrow to decide," she told him. "Isamu said that it has to be done on the day of the equinox in order for it to work." She hadn't wanted to bring the topic up, but they couldn't avoid it forever.

"And have you decided," he asked dexterously. At hearing the amount of time she was given, his heart burned. He didn't want to lose her, in any sense and feared that (like with Kanan) he could do nothing to save the one he loved. He wasn't even sure if he had the time he needed to show her just how much he loved her.

"No," she whispered softly. Truth be told, Karin had never before been faced with such a seemingly hopeless situation. Either way, the outcome was a lose-lose situation. It just wasn't fair. The time she was allowed with Hakkai wasn't nearly as much time as she had hoped for. And she was scared, so very scared. But she didn't want to show it to the man she loved. "I don't want to end up hurting people, but at the same time I'm not sure if I could kill my own father and… most of all, I don't want to forget you."

"Karin…whether you forget me or not…know that I will never forget you," Hakkai told her, tightening his embrace and stroking her hair. "This is your decision but I will help you survive this ordeal however I can."

"Well, I think I have somewhat of an idea of what I'm going to do," Karin admitted. Hakkai looked at her questioningly, and she smiled up at him. "You trust me… don't you?"

"Even though you tend to throw yourself into the lion's den…yes I trust you," Hakkai whispered soothingly. Karin smiled and pulled his arms tighter around her body…then she opened her mouth and started to sing.

Chikai no yubiwa

futari no akai ito

ima wa mienai

yakusoku mo nai kedo"

Hakkai drank in Karin's words, their impact making him drunk like no wine ever could. He thought back on the first month spent with her. How she pulled him out into the rain and sang to him before. He remembered the indefinable impact it had on him not dissimilar to this. A fire of passion began flickering within him. Karin kissed his neck softly as she continued to sing.

tsunaida te wo hanasanaide

shinjitsu nara kanashii dake

kono mama

Karin stroked his chest softly, letting her hand roam down to slide under his shirt, her cool fingers gently caressing the scar on his warm stomach. Hakkai shivered at the contact a little, but he didn't stop her. He couldn't. His mind was in a buzz right now. It was the same high he felt dancing with her in the rain, when they shared their first kiss. She had shown him love and kindness and brought warm sunlight back into his rain filled world.

TRUST IN ME

tatoe hodoketemo

kioku wa kizuna wo kesenai

WILL YOU TRUST IN ME

yubisaki de tadoru hoshi mieru deshou

Karin took hold of the fabric and slowly pulled it up over his head before setting it aside. Then she gently turned Hakkai over so that he was lying on his stomach. Feelings of love, joy and a little lust began making themselves known and in his mind, he wanted to make their last night the most memorable.

me wo sarasazu ni

hajimete tsutaeyou

hitomi ni utsuru

anata ga sono hito

She ran her hands over his back, feeling the contours of his muscles. Then slowly and thoroughly she began to knead her fingers into his back. A soft moan escaped his lips and he fought against his growing desires, not wanting to take her somewhere she'd never been.

kono ayaugena sekai sae

koete yukeru to shinjiru dake

anato to

The others in the inn heard her song and felt peace roll over them. Even Gojyo started to calm down somewhat. Hakkai breathed deeply as her voice flowed over him and her fingers gently caressed his back. Karin felt her throat closing up, but forcibly kept it open and continue singing. She wanted nothing more than to have one night with him...and didn't want it ruined by her own fears.

TRUST IN ME

betsubetsu na sora ni

otozureru yoake no naka de

WILL YOU TRUST IN ME

yume mo naka nando demo aeru deshou?

Karin's voice started getting softer and her hands moved from Hakkai's back to his neck and head massaging every place she could reach. 'If there is a god, please hear me out,' Hakkai thought. 'I know I've done horrible things. I know I deserve damnation. But if it's not too much to ask, please let me live out the rest of my days with this woman.'

TRUST IN ME

tatoe hodoketemo

kioku wa kizuna wo kesenai

WILL YOU TRUST IN ME

yubisaki de tadoru hoshi mieru deshou

As the last note of her song faded away, Hakkai reached up and grasped one of the hands on his neck. He couldn't ever remember feeling so at peace with himself. "Feeling more relaxed?" Karin asked him.

"Relaxed, and yet…" He suddenly turned over and wrapped a hand around Karin's waist pulling her down on him. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. "I feel stimulated at the same time."

"I kind of was going for that," Karin admitted with a guilty smile.

Hakkai chuckled a bit and kissed her tenderly. "Well I'm glad it worked," Hakkai whispered into her ear.

Karin giggled and nuzzled her face against his neck. "Me too, because I'm too anxious to be able to go to sleep early tonight."

Then she nipped his ear playfully. In one fluid movement, she found herself on her back staring up at Hakkai. "I hope you don't mind," Hakkai said with a hint of devilishness in his smile.

"Not at all," Karin murmured, having no qualms about being dominated by him.

They both smiled at each other and soon their mouths became one.

* * *

In the room across the hallway Ran sat on her bed her hands on her head trying to figure out what was going on with her. She had gone by Gojyo's room a little earlier to apologize again but he had been too mad to even speak to her.

"What's going on…I can't even talk to Gojyo around Mitsu…why can't I control myself?" she muttered into the empty room. "Maybe I should try talking to Gojyo again. I have a hard enough time getting to sleep without having that weighing down on my mind." She got up slowly and walked to the door trying to decide what to say to him…though her mind was still in a fog making that difficult.

"You seem troubled," a melodious voice drifted from the window. Ran froze and slowly turned to see Mitsu with his chin rested in his hand and his elbow rested on the window sill. "What could be troubling my strawberry haired angel?"

"Um…I…I…" Ran stuttered having her mind swept clean yet again. She couldn't understand why the moment his voice sounded in her ears she lost all her senses…except touch. "It's nothing," she finally said unable to remember what had been bothering her.

"Oh I'm glad," Mitsu said climbing through the window and into her room. "I'd hate for anything to affect my angel's sleep."

"Thanks for your concern Mitsu. It's nice to know that someone cares," Ran said smiling. "Is there a reason you came to visit? I was just getting ready to head to bed."

"Must I have a reason for wanting to see the young woman I hold very dear to me?" Mitsu said slowly moving towards her.

"Well, I guess not," Ran said uncertainly. Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice was screaming at her to back away, but her feet were rooted to the spot.

"I was just on my way home, when I realized something," Mitsu told her placing a hand on her cheek causing Ran's skin to be set aflame.

"And what's that?" Ran asked surprised at how steady her voice was.

"I never gave you a goodnight kiss," Mitsu said lowering his face toward hers. Once again she felt everything freeze and the voice in the back of her head was screaming even louder...'push him back, this isn't right, get away from him. Her hands jerked forward slightly but Mitsu caught them and moved back a little bit. "Don't worry…you can trust me," he whispered into her ear and her hands fell back to her side.

Mitsu smiled once more before leaning down and kissing her full on the lips. Ran felt as if electricity was surging through her body and her mind was reeling. She had hardly even noticed that her mouth had fallen open in a gasp and his warm appendage was inside of her.

Her trembling hands reach up, grasping him by the shoulders, whether to push him away or pull him closer, she wasn't even sure. Suddenly Mitsu stopped and pulled away, and Ran felt as if her source of oxygen had just been taken away. "It's no good," Mitsu whispered shaking his head before turning away from her.

Ran sat there breathing for several minutes unsure of what just happened and slowly her brain started register what he had just said. "Mitsu…what's wrong?" Ran asked looking into his eyes.

"Is this alright for me to do? You don't even understand what it is," Mitsu muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"What's wrong?" Ran repeated having finally gotten her air back. Mitsu stood where he was with his eyes closed for several minutes making Ran start to worry about him. "Mitsu….are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked yet again as a voice kept telling her to leave…but she was unable to.

He looked at Ran, but saw another staring back at him with worry in her eyes. "What's wrong, Mitsu?" She asked him compassionately.

"Hotaru…" Mitsu reached out a trembling hand to her. He yearned for her touch, her taste, her smell. Surely… what he was doing couldn't be all bad. He was merely trying to rescue her from the lost and the damned. He needed her help… he needed her. He grasped her by the shoulders, a little harder this time. "Please, help me," he whispered, his breath skirting over her lips.

Her eyes widened as her brain began to register what it was he was seeing. Almost immediately it was wiped clear again as he once again began kissing her tenderly…desperate for her touch, her warmth.

Just then Gojyo opened the door and saw the sight of Mitsu kissing Ran. He was about to turn around in anger when he noticed that the look in Ran's eyes was that of someone trying to fight back but her body wasn't moving in defense. "Something's not right about this picture," he thought to himself then he gladly went and broke it up by grabbing onto Mitsu's shoulder and pulling him back.

Gojyo roughly tossed Mitsu away from Ran and put himself between her and the golden haired angel. Mitsu caught his balance before glaring at the half demon. Ran placed a hand over her mouth, still stunned by the moving force the kiss had held. "You've got a lot of nerve," Gojyo told Mitsu with anger in his voice.

"You're annoyingly persistent," Mitsu replied dangerously.

"What is it you want with Ran?" Gojyo demanded refusing to move an inch. "Is she just a toy to you? I saw what you were doing…she's a living person and should be able to make choices on her own not be forced into something." Ran looked up at Gojyo surprised at his vehemence but feeling very grateful at his rescue…something told her that if he hadn't shown up things would have really gotten out of hand.

"I love her and would never force her into something she didn't want. She's had every chance to tell me no but never did," Mitsu retorted angrily.

"I know Ran a lot better than you think buddy, and she would never go along with what you've been doing to her all this time," Gojyo said, his voice increasing in volume.

"And that would be what? Looking after her? Introducing her to her own kind? Making sure she's happy?" Mitsu asked, his voice rising to match Gojyo's.

Ran felt as if her heart was being torn apart and she covered her ears to block out the shouts. "How is forcing yourself on her going to make her happy?" Gojyo snapped.

"Says the man who's slept with countless women," Mitsu snapped back.

"Stop," Ran whispered.

"You've done something to her, now what is it?"

"I'm trying to save her."

"Bullshit!"

"JUST STOP IT!" Ran screamed.

Suddenly the door burst wide open and Karin and Hakkai stood there panting and looking concerned. "What is going on in here?" Karin demanded. She looked and saw that Ran looked shaken and had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Karin quickly rushed forward and hugged Ran telling her it was going to be alright. Then she looked at both Mitsu and Gojyo. "See what you both are doing? Is this what you call HELPING?"

Mitsu stared at Ran as she clung to Karin, completely falling apart on her shoulder. He gave a shuddering intake of breath before turning to leave. Hakkai tried to stop him but Mitsu hissed at him, "Don't touch me!" and he left, leaving the four of them in a very tense atmosphere.

"Hakkai… I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to need to stay with Ran tonight," Karin said apologetically, not wanting to leave her friend alone like this.

"I understand," Hakkai said looking at Ran who was shuddering in Karin's shoulder. "Gojyo…let's leave them alone. I don't think you'll be able to do anything right now."

Gojyo nodded and left after saying softly to Ran that he was sorry. Hakkai gave Karin a goodnight kiss on top of her head before following. As soon as the door closed behind the two boys Gojyo sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.

"So what happened in there?" Hakkai asked silently.

"That bastard was trying to have his way with her," Gojyo grumbled.

"Isn't that what you do with most girls?" Hakkai asked.

"Hey I don't force them. You didn't see Ran's eyes when he was kissing her…she was screaming for help," Gojyo said glaring at a spot on the floor.

"It is rather strange that she'd take such a sudden interest in him, considering the two really haven't known each other for that long," Hakkai said rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not only that, it's only too clear that Mitsu has an extreme disliking towards demons. Maybe he feels that you two are too close for comfort." Hakkai could still remember Setsuna's words against his and Karin's union.

"Even if that is the case it doesn't explain why she's been doing everything he says without any argument at all. It's just not like her. She's never that willing to do anything," Gojyo pointed out annoyed.

"That's true…anytime someone tries to convince her of something she either completely ignores them or hits them in the head," Hakkai agreed with a little poke at Gojyo.

"Do you have to be so cynical?" Gojyo asked in exasperation. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Sorry, I guess it's my way of getting back at you," Hakkai said smiling.

"For what?" Gojyo asked annoyed.

"For interrupting my wonderful night," Hakkai answered still smiling.

"Is that why you're not wearing a shirt?" Gojyo asked amused.

"Exactly."

"Sorry about ruining your fun with Karin but I wasn't about to let that guy have his way when she couldn't even choose to have him or not."

"You always were gallant in that sense," Hakkai said with a light sigh. "That's why I'm willing to let it slide this time. But somehow, I honestly don't think that Mitsu would have taken it that far."

"What makes you say that?" Gojyo asked incredulously.

"He just doesn't have the eyes or the heart for it," Hakkai stated wisely. "However, if you really want to get to the bottom of this, I'll help in any way I can."

Gojyo smiled. "Thanks Hakkai."

"No problem," he answered softly.

A short silence fell between the two, until Gojyo asked in a sly voice. "So about Karin…"

"Forget it Gojyo," Hakkai said warningly.

"Is she a naughty girl under the covers?" He pressed wryly.

"What we do together is none of your business," Hakkai replied.

"Ooo sorry didn't mean to hit a sore spot," Gojyo laughed. "Well, I'm proud of you. For awhile I wondered if you had any sort of drive."

"I'm going to bed now," Hakkai said walking back to his room. "Before I do something I may not regret later."

"Right, I'll see you guys in the morning."

* * *

Back in the room Ran was still shuddering and crying into Karin's shoulder as her mind started returning to normal slightly. "Karin…what was that? What's going on? What's happening to me?" Ran bawled confused.

Karin rubbed a hand up and down Ran's back in an attempt to sooth her. "It's okay, Ran. There's nothing wrong with you. Just let it out." Karin's shoulder was starting to get soaked but she didn't mind. She continued to hold Ran and started humming softly to her.

Eventually Ran's crying stopped and she took several deep breaths to calm herself. "I think I'm fine now Karin. Thanks for sticking with me. Man I feel like such a baby right now," Ran said wiping her tear streaked face. "What happened to the others? Did they all leave?"

Karin nodded. "Yeah, they're all gone now."

"Do you think Gojyo's mad?" Ran asked her after a few moments.

"Not at you, I'm sure," Karin said rubbing the back of her neck. "What happened anyway?"

Ran shook her head and stood up pacing her room. "I don't really know. One minute Mitsu was in here chatting the next he was kissing me….like really kissing me and then before I knew it Gojyo had barged in here and pulled Mitsu away from me. They started arguing about something…I don't really know. I got fed up with it and told them to stop. That's when you came in," Ran explained rubbing her head and trying to fill in the places she didn't understand.

"Ran… are you in love with Mitsu?" Karin asked her.

"No, Mitsu's just a really good friend. I just… I don't know what's going on," she said curling herself up into a ball. "I'm so confused."

Karin sighed and wondered if she should tell Ran the whole story or not. In the end she decided that now probably wasn't the best time. "Maybe you're just really happy to have found someone to relate to," Karin suggested.

"It is nice to have someone who can help me cope with being a half angel with no control over myself…but that doesn't explain why I seem to have feelings for him when I know I don't," Ran exclaimed gesturing widely.

"Maybe you just need some sleep to clear your head a little bit," Karin suggested. "I'll even stay with you tonight just to make sure nothing else happens."

"Heh, you're probably right," Ran sighed. "I just hope I can get to sleep."

'I doubt I'll be able to,' Karin thought with chibi tears. 'I'm all wound up now.'

Ran couldn't help herself…she started to giggle at Karin's chibiness. "I'm sure you'll be just fine. Have you figured out what you're going to do tomorrow?" Ran asked starting to feel a lot better.

"Yeah…it was a tough decision to make but I've decided what I'm going to do," Karin replied after a short pause.

"Well at least you've decided. I hope that whatever you've decided works and you pull through it just fine," Ran said lying down on her bed.

"Yeah…me too," Karin replied lying down as well.

The next morning Karin woke up and noticed that Ran was gone. She looked around the room but found no sign that she'd left. Then she noticed that the window was open and looking up saw Ran's foot hanging down from the roof.

Karin sighed before poking her head out the window. "GOOD MORNING! ISN'T LIFE BEAUTIFUL?"

The foot jerked and suddenly Ran came rolling off the roof coming to a stop when she grabbed a hold to keep herself from falling. "What did you do that for?" Ran exclaimed swinging in front of the window. "You could have seriously hurt me."

"That's what you get for sleeping on rooftops," Karin replied in a sing song voice. "What do you think you are anyway?"

"I'm a cat can't you tell?" Ran asked meowing right afterwards. "Besides if I didn't come out here I probably would have woken you up…and I really hate doing that."

"I could have gone back to Hakkai's room," Karin complained going back into the room.

"Oh please…I wasn't the one that kept you here," Ran said defending herself as she climbed back into the room.

"You were a total wreck…what was I supposed to do?" Karin demanded.

"I appreciate the help you gave…but once I was back to normal you could of headed back. Besides I'm the tough one remember…I can take care of myself," Ran said grinning.

Karin hung her head. "I'm going to breakfast," she mumbled before walking out of the room. Ran couldn't help but wonder what all had happened the night before.

The Sanzo party was downstairs enjoying breakfast. Karin took a seat next to Hakkai. "Good morning," Hakkai greeted her.

"How's Ran?" Gojyo asked immediately.

Karin gave him a glare of doom. "…Peachy."

Gojyo raised an eyebrow at her in confusion but soon understood when Ran came running down the stairs. "Morning guys…mmm something smells good. What's for breakfast?" she asked sitting down next to Gojyo like she always did.

"Feeling better?" Hakkai asked also feeling a tad bit annoyed.

"Yeah…thanks to Karin," Ran replied happily.

"Great…so how about some meat buns?" Goku asked holding one up.

"Thanks," Ran said grabbing the bun from Goku. "Mmm…these are really good."

Karin sighed heavily. She couldn't stay angry at Ran when she was trying so hard to convince everyone that she was alright. "So where were you guys all last night?" Karin asked Sanzo and Goku conversationally.

"It was great! Reira showed me how to cook a bunch of stuff!" Goku said gleefully,

"Which he ate right afterwards," Sanzo muttered.

"And get this! Etsuko nearly beat Sanzo at Majhong," Goku continued laughing.

His head jerked forward as Sanzo's fan landed on the back of it. "Really…I never thought I'd see the day when Sanzo would be beat by a girl…except maybe auntie Yuzuna," Ran laughed.

"And then she played this weird flute like thing and Sanzo fell asleep so we had to stay there all night but that's okay because Reira made me a lot of things to eat," Goku rattled on speaking very fast.

"Wow sounds like you two had an eventful night," Ran laughed as Sanzo smacked Goku upside the head again.

"I had no idea that Sanzo was getting some action as well last night," Gojyo joked smirking at the angry monk.

"Ahahah…" Hakkai said wagging his finger. "No guns here Sanzo…you don't want these people angry at us now do you?"

"Just shut up already," Sanzo grumbled pulling out his hand that had been reaching for his gun.

Karin began to laugh really hard and her laughter broke through the aggressiveness that had been growing around the table. "You guys…" She said between gasps. "…are too funny." They all stared, even Sanzo, in amazement as she laughed so hard her eyes were starting to water.

"Karin…" Ran said uncertainly as Karin's laughter slowly turned into crying. Hakkai reached over and gave her a hug unsure of why she had started to cry.

"I'm fine guys…it's just…you guys are the greatest ever," Karin choked out through sniffles. The others smiled at her and even Sanzo looked like he had a small one….though it could have just been a grimace.

"Well I'm glad to see that you are still getting along so well," Isamu said stepping into the room.

"Oh hey Isamu…what's up?" Ran asked turning around in her seat.

"I was just wondering if Karin had made her decision yet…after all if you do decide to do it…it must be done today."

Karin took a few moments before answering. "Take me to my father." Then she added to her friends, "You guys don't have to come."

"So you're going through with it?" Goku asked sadly. The others looked at her and Hakkai took several deep breaths.

"We're coming too," Ran declared supportively.

"Yeah…we aren't about to let a little thing like you go through something like this alone," Gojyo added putting his arm around Ran who shoved it off.

"I promised I'd be there to help and I will," Hakkai put in squeezing her shoulders. Sanzo grunted but didn't say anything about not going.

"Great…so whenever you're ready…we'll go with you," Ran said smiling and standing up.

"Of course…and I'll join you," Mitsu said coming up behind Isamu.

"Are you ready, young one?" Isamu addressed Karin. Karin nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she stood.

The others stood as well and together they traversed down the street as if they were headed for a funeral.

* * *

After what felt like forever the group reached the elders house where Reira, Etsuko, Kogaru, Jinichi, and Setsuna were waiting. "Looks like they knew she'd do it," Ran thought sadly.

"So is it going to happen, dad?" Etsuko asked suddenly breaking the silence.

"Yes…now we need to head for the grove to make sure no one else get's hurt," Isamu answered. The five waiting people nodded and lead the way toward the edge of town and Mitsu comfortingly wrapped his arm around Ran's shoulders…much to Gojyo's displeasure.

The group of angels led the Sanzo party through a winding forest path. Karin was beginning to drift off into her own world, but the feeling of a warm hand on hers brought her back to reality. She looked over at Hakkai who was walking beside her and forced a smile for his sake.

"We're here," Isamu announced when they reached a large clearing. "Setsuna…Karin…this is it."

"Good luck Karin…I know you'll find a way around it," Ran whispered giving Karin a hug. "I know you can do this."

Karin took her place in front of her father while the Sanzo party stood on the sidelines, each with an angel standing close by. "Are you prepared?" Setsuna asked Karin with little emotion in his eyes.

Karin nodded, resolve dancing clearly in her eyes. "I am."

"I won't be holding back," Setsuna told her.

"I never would have expected you to," she answered.

Then it began. Setsuna's wings appeared on his back…a dark violet cape that draped over his back…and he pulled out a double edged sword and glided toward her preparing to attack.

Karin summoned her own sword and blocked his attack. The two blades grinded against each other until Karin was shoved back. She recovered her footing and the two attacked each other with swift, deadly blows, moving so fast that some of the Sanzo party were having troubles keeping up.

"Okay…now this is a fight," Ran muttered too enthralled in the fight to notice Mitsu and Gojyo glaring at each other.

At one point Karin managed to get underneath him and her blade went right through one of his wings…but to the Sanzo party's surprise it went right through like they didn't exist. "Okay…I thought wings were solid," Goku exclaimed voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Actually they're only solid when we want them to be," Reira explained amused.

"Come again?" Ran asked confused.

"An angel can make their wings as solid as a shield or as wispy as air at will…it all depends on the circumstances," Etsuko explained.

"It's amazing how she's almost able to keep up with him," Jinichi said placing a hand on his cheek. "And she doesn't even have her wings out."

"That's because neither of them are fighting to their fullest," Kogaru stated. "Not yet."

"Tell me," Setsuna asked Karin as they took a pause. "Is your resolve as true as you claim?"

"Why do you ask?" Karin returned, trying to sound winded.

"Because you're holding back," Setsuna replied slamming his sword down on hers and pushing her back several feet. "Of course…how can you fight at your fullest when you're wearing these limiters?" A spark of fear appeared in Karin's eyes as Setsuna swiftly reached up and removed her limiters before taking a couple steps back.

"Karin!" Hakkai was about to step forward but Jinichi wrapped his arms around Hakkai and held him there with unimaginable strength.

"No no, handsome. I can't let you do that."

They all watched as Karin struggled with herself…her ears and nails growing long and her teeth coming to a point and finally a long tattoo appeared on the right side of her body.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Gojyo asked Kogaru.

"Just be silent and watch," he answered.

"Sanzo… is she gonna be okay?" Goku asked the priest. He didn't answer.

Isamu and his daughters were intently watching the match not looking at all surprised by Karin's transformation. Even Reira was strangely serious. Ran was doing all she could not to move from her place. Mitsu watched her with concern. Once Karin's transformation was complete, she stood straight to meet her opponent. She leapt at Setsuna with incredible speed, not even using her weapons anymore. At first it seemed as if the two were even matched, but as the battle progressed, Karin didn't even seem to be tiring. On the contrary, it appeared as if she was growing stronger with each passing minute.

Karin's attacks were getting more and more powerful, pushing Setsuna back with tremendous force. Then one of her attacks dislodged Setsuna's footing and she shoved him to the ground. As he landed blood spurted from his mouth and the place her attack made contact. Setsuna looked up at his daughter's face which was a blanket of anger and hatred. "You've won the fight…now finish the job," he said softly to her.

Karin gave a mocking sneer before raising her hand for the final blow.

"Karin!"

The voice calling out to her caused her to freeze momentarily. She knew that voice from somewhere… who was it? She grabbed her head as if fearing it might split apart. She heard the voice call her name again. Then whispered words of love floated to the front of her mind. "Hakkai…" she whispered. "I'm sorry. I can't… ask you to forgive me for this."

Slowly she pulled out a knife from her clothes and opened the blade. Ran seeing this immediately reached for her shoe and found her own knife missing. "Crap…she swiped it from me. When did she do that?" she thought to herself angrily. As she looked back up Karin closed her eyes and shoved the blade forcefully into the scar on her chest…where Kusuma had stabbed her many months before.

Time seemed to slow down as Karin fell to her knees, forcing the blade down as deeply as she could, gritting her teeth from the pain. 'At least Hakkai and everyone else will be safe,' Karin thought. 'That's all that matters.'

Hakkai thought he might be sick. "God, please, not her too. Don't take her away from me too."

"Karin!" Goku shouted. Ran stood numbly, unable to move or speak. Gojyo just stared in shock. "Karin, why!?" Goku shouted.

"She never intended upon winning this fight," Sanzo muttered. "The only reason she agreed to it, was to prove something. Those tears earlier were not the tears of someone about to kill their father. They were the tears of someone who knew they would die."

As she kneeled there bleeding and dying her wings appeared upon her back, dark blue as the midnight sky which suddenly turned to black. Then Setsuna got up and removed the knife from her body and her hand and sliced open his own hand. Then carefully he placed his bleeding hand over her wound and dropped some of it inside. There was a blinding flash of light around Karin and Setsuna that spread out engulfing everyone in the clearing only to vanish moments later as Karin lay on the ground unmoving.

"It is done," Setsuna said before he walked away from his daughter's body with some difficulty due to his injuries.

Jinichi finally released Hakkai and he ran forward to Karin's side, Ran, Gojyo, Goku, and even Sanzo, all right behind him. Hakkai knelt down beside her and gently sat her up. Upon looking, the scar at her chest had completely vanished. The wound was gone. "Karin… please, open your eyes," Hakkai pleaded in a half whisper.

Hakkai's wish came true as a pair of clear sapphire eyes opened and stared up at him. Her mouth opened and uttered four audible syllables. "I know your face."

Hakkai's face split into a wide grin as he realized…she still remembered him and she was just fine. He pulled her into a big hug and Ran seeing her friend had done it jumped into the air and whooped for joy. "Alright…she did it. She did it and she didn't lose her memories," she shouted doing a little jig that Goku joined in.

"Okay so what's the big deal old man. You said that she'd have to kill her dad and in doing so would lose all her memories," Gojyo demanded turning around to face the angels standing behind them.

"It's simple. She was supposed to take the blood of her father into herself…how she did it was up to her but it needed to be a decision that would take everything she had to make," Isamu explained.

"SO it was all part of a script," Sanzo muttered, as though he had suspected as much.

"So why did her wings turn black? Did she have to become that tainted just to have this work?" Ran asked stopping her little jig to look at them.

"Tainted? My dear child she had to reach a state of purity in order to become successful," Isamu corrected confused by her question.

"Wait but I thought that dark wings meant tainted and light wings…." Ran muttered trying to fit two and two together.

"It used to be that way," Isamu divulged. "However, after the angels' decent to earth, a change came over us, and for some reason the reverse occurs."

"So us having dark wings is a good thing?" Ran asked with relief.

"Most definitely," Isamu said with an incline of his head.

"Hey look, I can bring them out," Karin suddenly said indicating the sparkling dark blue wings on her back.

"Haha! That's so cool!" Goku cheered delighted as Karin kept causing her wings to disappear and reappear on her back.

Ran smiled at her friend happy that it all worked out…then she realized something terrible. "If dark wings were good then that means…" she thought spinning around and looking over the angels present…someone was missing. "Guys…where did Mitsu go?' she asked.

* * *

CM: Where _did_ Mitsu go? Now that the big trial is over, what will the Sanzo party do now? Will Ran and Gojyo finally be able to accept each other's feelings now that the _other_ man is gone? Stay tuned to find out...and please review.


	25. Time to Go

Time to Go- The Journeying Onward

Mitsu collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. He had traveled miles away from the village in a panicked state, as quickly as his strength would allow. They would know for sure by now. They wouldn't trust him anymore. Not that any of the guys had trusted him in the first place. He couldn't chance staying there anymore. They would surely tell them everything. No one would help him. Not even she would help him now. No… she wouldn't trust him anymore. Why had he been so careless? Now he was left with nothing.

"It's been a long time…Mitsu Bishi," a deep voice said from behind him.

Mitsu spun around and saw Homura standing there with the same smile he had when catching him in the flower field. "Homura-san…I had heard you were down here but didn't know whether or not to believe it," Mitsu fumbled as the shock of seeing the God faded away.

"I was wondering when I was going to have the opportunity of seeing you while I was down here on business," Homura told him conversationally. "Though I never expected to find you looking so miserable."

"Just what business does the new war prince have down here on earth?" Mitsu asked suspiciously.

"Not for the reasons I know you're thinking of," Homura said knowingly. "Believe me I have no intention of harming you or any of your other angel companions."

"Then what?"

"I simply have the desire to destroy the heavens to make room for a new one where love will not be forced to only come between two people of the same species," Homura explained. "I could use your help Mitsu…I know how much the current higher ups have angered you."

"I made an oath never to ally myself with a god ever again," Mitsu declared. "Even if it is you, Homura-san."

"I can understand your sorrow," Homura said sympathetically. "The heavens have caused you to lose two people very dear to you… your object of adoration, and before that, your lovely little sister."

"Shut up!" Mitsu shouted. "Don't you dare speak so casually of them."

"I didn't mean any disrespect…but you weren't the only one who cared for Hotaru," Homura told him casually. "Even some of the Gods were sad to see her leave."

"I said don't talk about them so casually," Mitsu shouted angrily.

"I offer you my help…I can help you get the revenge you desire," Homura continued.

"I don't need your help," Mitsu said turning away from him and began to walk off. "I'll find my own way."

"Will you not even see Shien?" Homura asked him suddenly.

Mitsu froze. "Master Shien?"

"I'm sure he would very much like to see how his young apprentice was doing," Homura continued gently.

Mitsu covered his face. "No… I could not face him. Not like this."

Homura bowed his head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Mitsu…if you wish to except our help then come to the Tower of Conran and we'll accept you with open arms," Homura said turning around. "I do hope everything works out well for you."

With that he left and Mitsu heaved a sigh not sure whether he should have refused the offer or not. "Well that was certainly interesting. I never thought I'd see a God speak on such even terms with an angel," a deep creepy voice said behind him.

Mitsu turned to see a man in a lab coat with dark hair and glasses holding a small stuff bunny rabbit. "You… how do you know about angels? Humans aren't supposed to know about them," Mitsu asked with suspicion.

"I know about a lot that most don't understand," the man replied smirking. "I understand that the Gods forced all the angels out of heaven and that you hate them for it. I can help you get your revenge…release your anger…but I need a little help from you in return."

"Why would you help me?" Mitsu asked him, thinking that accepting help from a human almost sounded as bad as accepting help from a god.

"I'd like to think of myself as a sentimental man who hates to see people bottling up so much," he answered with a small laugh.

Mitsu stared at the ground for quite some time without a word. "I know there is something that you desire…more than revenge if possible. I can help you achieve that goal as well," the man continued seeing Mitsu hesitate.

Mitsu looked up at him and searched his eyes for a couple seconds…then, "What is it you want me to do?"

An evil leer slowly spread over the man's face.

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"Tell me, Karin," Hakkai said as Karin walked out of the bathroom, having just showered and gotten changed into clean clothes. "Do you enjoy seeing me as a nervous wreck?"

"What makes you think that?" Karin asked him confused.

"Because you seem to have this incredible talent of getting yourself into trouble. Not just that but you've nearly shaken hands with death three times."

"You've kept count?"

"Yes…and I'd really hate to see it happen a fourth time," Hakkai sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I really don't want to lose you." He bent down a little bit and lovingly kissed her neck. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you for good," he breathed into her ear.

Karin's heart was beating rather quickly and she sighed in contentment. "I'm sorry if I've been a source of constant worry… that's kind of why I didn't want you to be there when I did that."

"You really intended to die back there, didn't you?" Hakkai asked her.

"Well… yes," Karin admitted, shamefaced, "but only because I didn't want to end up hurting anyone else…. Especially not you."

"I assure you Karin…you wouldn't have hurt me. Seeing you suffer like that hurt me more than any blade ever could," Hakkai told her as he nuzzled her neck.

Karin's breathing became a little heavier as her skin tingled with delight. "I'll try not to have any more brushes with death for your sake," Karin murmured, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I'm kind of going to miss that scar though. It was something to remember you by," Karin said a little jokingly.

"Don't worry, I'll make up for it," Hakkai said with a breathy chuckle. Karin's heart leapt into her throat as his lips caressed and sampled the crevice of her neck.

Karin's breathing increased and her heart sped up, but her grip on him slackened a little. "Is there something wrong?" Hakkai asked pulling back to look at her face.

"Is this really okay…I mean we've only been officially dating for a week," Karin asked biting her lip.

"We don't have to do this so soon if you don't want to," Hakkai told her. "Or if you want we could just say it's been year."

Karin laughed. "It sure feels like it's been longer than what it has been. I guess I'm just a little nervous. I am painfully shy after all."

"Really? Last night you seemed pretty daring," Hakkai reminded her smiling.

"I know, I kind of contradict myself. One moment I'll be gung-ho and the next I start blushing at every little thing," Karin said sheepishly. "It's embarrassing really."

"No, it's one of those aspect about you that I adore," Hakkai told her, rubbing his nose against hers, causing her to turn pink. "But if you want to take it slower, then I'll understand."

"Well… it's not like I'm saying I want to slow down," Karin mumbled turning red. "I mean… gah…"

Hakkai had grabbed her hand and pulled her back with him onto the bed. "Haha…I hope you don't mind," he said holding onto her tightly.

"Uh-uh…" Karin mumbled feeling very happy.

"Good," Hakkai whispered into her ear before nuzzling the back of her neck.

Karin's eyes fluttered closed as Hakkai began placing butterfly kisses all along her neck. There couldn't possibly be anything wrong with this, Karin thought. She loved him, more than anything, and right now she was infinitely grateful that she remembered who he was. That had probably been the scariest part of those two days… thinking that she would wake up and not even know this beautiful person beside her. She trusted him with her innocence.

"Hakkai…" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Don't stop."

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Meanwhile Ran and Goku were still celebrating Karin's success. The two kept cheering and dancing around like complete idiots. "Will you two pipe down!" Sanzo shouted hitting them both with his fan. "It's bad enough when there's only ONE monkey to take care of!"

"Sorry Sanzo…but I can't help but feel happy about Karin making it through," Ran apologized smiling widely. "I guess the only thing that could make this better would be if I found a limiter." The mood dimmed slightly but almost immediately Ran laughed and did a cartwheel through the room.

"Hey calm down there…I really don't want anything broken," Isamu said chuckling at their celebratory moves.

"Sorry Isamu," Ran said sitting back down embarrassed.

Setsuna sighed from his sitting position at the table. The angel healers had managed to patch up the worst of his wounds. "Isamu, I think it's about time we told them about Mitsu."

"Yes, you're probably right," Isamu agreed. "But it seems we have two people missing."

"You mean Hakkai and Karin….they went upstairs about…fifteen minutes ago," Goku answered grinning widely.

"Well we need them back down here for a few minutes," Setsuna muttered.

"Sanzo…could you let them know that we need them down here?" Isamu asked cordially.

"Why me?" Sanzo replied annoyed.

"Because you're the closest to the door and you're standing," Etsuko replied with a chuckle. "That's how dad likes to pick people some times."

"Tch… whatever," Sanzo grumbled before going up the stairs. A few minutes passed until Sanzo came back down again with a supremely agitated look on his face.

"So…where are they?" Ran asked him. Sanzo didn't say anything but instead lit up a cigarette and took a huge drag on it.

"So…are they coming down?" Goku asked blinking in confusion.

"They're currently unavailable," Sanzo replied blowing out a puff of smoke.

"No way…did you walk in on…" Gojyo started trying to hold back his laughter.

"Wow…I knew they were close but…well good for them," Ran said happily. Setsuna had his face in his hands and was shaking his head.

"What's going on? What did he walk in on?" Goku asked confused by the others reactions.

"So how much did you see?" Gojyo asked now thoroughly interested.

"I didn't see anything," Sanzo growled.

"Didn't you knock?" Ran asked in disbelief.

"So from now on I have to knock for fear of what's going on inside?" Sanzo asked aggravated.

"Its common courtesy," Ran told him.

"He probably killed the mood," Gojyo snickered. "Maybe you should have joined them. Then maybe you wouldn't be such a tight-ass."

Sanzo reached inside his robes and Ran immediately jumped up and held his arm. "Come on…just for one more night keep that thing hidden. I don't want to get thrown out because of something like this," Ran whispered urgently.

"Fine…but shut that boyfriend of yours up," Sanzo muttered angrily.

"He's not my boyfriend but yes I'll keep him quiet," Ran replied sighing. She then sat back down and angels gave her strange looks. "So should we interrupt him and get them down here?" she asked diverting attention from her sudden movement.

"There's no need," Karin's voice drifted down from the stairs. The group watched as the pair walked into the room. Karin's cheeks were still a little flushed and Hakkai with his usual smile that barely managed to hide his currant annoyance. "Well third times a charm… right?" Karin whispered jokingly, trying to lighten his mood.

Hakkai sighed but sat down and motioned for Karin to join him, so she sat on his lap. "So what did we need to come down here for?" Hakkai asked courteously.

"I feel that it's necessary to explain Mitsu's story and account for what happened to Ran," Setsuna said rubbing his temple.

"Alright, so maybe you should start from the beginning of his aggression," Karin suggested.

Thankful that she was taking this seriously, Setsuna began his story. "When the erasing of the angels began, it was a bloody affair. So many were killed. One of them happened to be Mitsu's little sister, Midori."

"Mitsu lost his sister?" Ran asked surprised.

"Yes…unfortunately he got separated from her during the escape and because she doesn't like fighting she could do little to defend herself. That was only the beginning, however, as many years later he thought he lost Hotaru when she married a human," Setsuna explained. Ran looked at the ground starting to feel really sorry for Mitsu. "He continued to get news about how she was living and found great pleasure in hearing she had a child. Ten years later though…we all had to make a run for it and Mitsu volunteered to help Hotaru reach this village. Unfortunately we never made it together as the Erasers caught up to us."

The group all listened with rapped interest now. "Mitsu was injured very badly in the struggle. I myself suffered a crippling wound. Hotaru sacrificed herself to save us both. Mitsu did all he could to stop her, but in the end, nothing he said made a difference. He went into hysteria for the next week. I brought him here to the village of the angels and left shortly afterwards."

"So then…the two deaths are what changed him?" Ran asked softly staring at the ground.

"I believe they were the biggest causes…though I think that me leaving just made the whole thing worse," Setsuna said shaking his head. "He always had a tendency to get attached to people…but was never good at letting them go."

"So he's the type who'd stalk you even after being dumped…got it," Gojyo thought making a mental note.

"Anyway after that his wings went from their golden brown color to the pale yellow they are now," Setsuna continued sadly. "I'm sure that when you two met with him he told you that light wings were pure and dark wings were tainted." Ran nodded her head as anger that she fell for it burned inside her throat. "As for you, Ran…" He began, not looking at the young woman.

"Hey, dad… would it be alright if I took over from here?" Karin volunteered. "You explained it enough to me, so I should be able to give her the gist of it."

"If you insist," Setsuna said, not all that disappointed.

"Okay," Karin said turning to Ran. "So… since Mitsu was in love with your mom, I have theorized that he is seeing her in you and longs to recapture those memories. But he realized that you and Gojyo were really close, so he used his angel voice to integrate himself into your thoughts and cause you to fall in love with him. Isn't it just romantic?"

Ran gave Karin this look like "you've got to be kidding me" and sighed heavily. "No it really isn't romantic. I've always seen him as a friend and nothing more….I was wondering why I couldn't tell him to stop or talk to anyone else while he was around," Ran said rubbing his head. "What did he want with me?"

"We can't say for sure," Setsuna admitted. "I haven't seen Mitsu for several years so he has changed in ways I can't even conceive."

"Mitsu has always been a hard working and courteous young man," Isamu told them all. "He was always kind and helpful to anyone he met, and he had many admirers, both male and female. Many people speculated why he never took a mate."

"So the reason he liked me was because I looked like my mom," Ran said sadly.

"If I ever see that guy again I'll show him how much I appreciated him taking Ran around the town," Gojyo said smirking.

"Don't…Gojyo…he's had enough," Ran said standing up. "Don't wait for me…I'm going to bed."

Once she left, Setsuna stood up as well. "I'm leaving as well."

"Where?" Karin asked.

"I'm going to see an old friend. Perhaps I can find a few answers there," Setsuna told her.

Karin smiled. "Please say 'hi' for me."

Setsuna nodded and left as well. "All this talking is making me hungry," Goku complained.

"Would you like me to make you something darling," Reira asked fawning over him.

"Yeah that would be great," Goku shouted.

"Great…at least there's someone who can shut that mouth of his," Sanzo muttered taking another drag on his cigarette.

"Well should we adjourn for the night?" Hakkai asked Karin smiling.

"Yeah…I think I'm ready for bed now," Karin replied sounding tired.

"I'm sure he is too," Gojyo said chuckling.

"Well, have a nice night Gojyo," Hakkai said with a dangerous look in his eye.

"Just a sec, you might want this," Gojyo said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Hakkai.

"Dear god," Hakkai muttered staring at it with disbelief that one, Gojyo would be carrying them around, and two, that he would be so daring as to give Hakkai one.

"Trust me, I'm doing you a favor," Gojyo said patting him on the back. "Have fun."

"What was that about?" Karin asked Hakkai as she watched Gojyo leave.

"You don't want to know," Hakkai muttered shaking his head.

"Well at least maybe now we'll have a chance to finally be alone," Karin grinned.

"Third times a charm right," Hakkai chuckled.

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Once Setsuna had finally reached the Tower of Konran, he landed on the topmost balcony before withdrawing his wings. He sincerely hoped that Homura wasn't out on some sort of business. Stepping inside, he saw the war prince sitting on his throne.

"I was hoping I would find you here," Setsuna told him. "You're a nuisance to track down when you're on the move."

"Setsuna…to what do I owe this pleasure?" Homura asked spotting Setsuna and smiled. "Did you enjoy your time with you daughter?"

"It was enjoyable but that is not why I'm here. I want to know if you've had any contact with Mitsu since coming down here," Setsuna said getting straight to the point.

"Why yes I did run into him just yesterday," Homura replied thoughtfully. "He seemed to be in a state of depression…what happened to make him so worrisome?"

"It's complicated," Setsuna replied, rubbing his forehead. "I don't suppose you managed to stop him?"

"I asked him to come with me, but he declined the offer," Homura told him apologetically. "I wasn't about to try and force him to come."

"So he could be anywhere by now," Setsuna muttered.

"Did he do something wrong?" Homura asked raising an eyebrow.

"It was just as I feared. He took to Ran well…but got really attached and started seeing her as Hotaru. He used his singing to gain access to her heart," Setsuna explained shaking his head.

"What a romantic tragedy," Homura stated thoughtfully. "So then why would he suddenly leave his dearly beloved?"

"I'm not sure, possibly for fear of being discovered," Setsuna speculated. "I don't suppose you could guess where he might go?"

"I'm afraid I was never that acquainted with the boy. Shien would know better than I."

"Do you know where he might be?" Setsuna asked sighing.

"He should be down on the second floor staring out the window like always," Homura answered with a shrug.

"Thank you…I do hope his disappearance doesn't cause difficulties for the Sanzo group. They've already gone through enough," Setsuna said bowing. He then left to find Shien.

Sure enough, Setsuna found him exactly where Homura had said he would be. Before he could even open his mouth to greet Shien, the man spoke. "You came to ask me about Mitsu, haven't you?" Shien asked knowingly.

"Yes…you always did seem to know exactly what I wanted before I said anything," Setsuna replied in low tones.

"How is he doing?" Shien asked without turning around.

"His wings are a pale yellow and he seems to have taken a liking to Ran," Setsuna explained.

"I see…so I was right," Shien stated. "I take it you don't know where he is now…do you?"

"That's right…I was hoping you could give me some information that might help me locate him," Setsuna stated respectfully.

"Mitsu desires to destroy heaven, yet refused Homura's offer to join him in a similar goal," Shien told him. "What do you suppose that means?"

"That he's stubborn," Setsuna surmised. "That, and he was probably afraid to face you. He did idolize you after all. He might become desperate, but not enough to accept help from gods. And I doubt he'll manage to convince any of the angels to rise up against heaven."

"So who do you suppose he would turn to next for help?" Shien asked him.

Setsuna faltered. "No… surely he wouldn't turn to humans… or possibly even demons for help?"

"The possibility is there…no matter how small. If they gave him a promising enough offer he might just take it…especially if they knew of his feelings for Ran," Shien pointed out.

"Do you think he'd go that far to have her?" Setsuna asked worriedly.

"If someone is desperate enough for another's love they might be willing to do almost anything," Shien replied shortly.

"I see…thank you for your time…Shien-san," Setsuna said worry rising up in his body. "I just hope you're wrong…for their sake."

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"Achoo!" Ran rubbed her nose.

"Uh oh, you're not getting sick are you?" a voice said from her door.

She looked to see it was Gojyo leaning casually against her door frame. "Heck no, I can't afford to get sick when we're leaving today," Ran said with a grin, happy to see that she and Gojyo were back on regular terms. Still… she couldn't help but be irritated at herself for having feelings of yearning every time she saw him.

*Yawn* Ran opened her mouth wide as she let lose an involuntary yawn. "Have a rough night again?" Gojyo asked jokingly.

"Yeah…no worries though. I'm just fine," she said getting off her bed and stretching. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Yeah…it was about an hour ago. You really know how to sleep through anything don't you," Gojyo chuckled.

"Oh haha…did Goku eat all of it already?" Ran asked rubbing her eyes.

"No…there's still some left…but it'll be gone pretty soon if you don't get down there," Gojyo answered amused.

"Okay," Ran muttered reaching for her clothes next to her bed. "Do you mind…I'm trying to get dressed here?"

"I don't mind at all," Gojyo said with a smirk, not moving from his spot.

Ran took a deep breath before calmly walking over to him and giving him a hard shove out the door. "Just get out," she sniped before slamming the door shut. Geez, she was even starting to enjoy THAT. 'This isn't good,' Ran thought. 'Not good at all.'

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Karin couldn't remember when she had ever felt more at peace. She opened her eyes to see Hakkai's beautiful sleeping face. He looked even more peaceful than she felt. She gently took one of his hands and gently ran her fingers over it. His hands were so incredibly soft… and godlike.

"You're awake?" Hakkai mumbled softly. "I was wondering when you were going to wake…I didn't want to leave until then." He leaned over enough to give her a warm, loving kiss and then opened his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

Karin nodded before returning the kiss in earnest. "To be honest, I've been awake on and off. You look really angelic when you're sleeping."

Hakkai laughed. "I find it rather ironic that the angel should say that to the demon."

"What a silly angel," Karin said grinning.

"And a masochistic demon," Hakkai added smiling.

*Knock, Knock* "Oy…if you two don't wake up soon Goku will have eaten everything," Gojyo shouted through the door.

"The world is against our happiness," Karin groaned.

"That may be…but we'll still find some every now and then," Hakkai whispered in her ear. "Now we'd better go…you know how much Goku eats."

"Yeah about that…um…it kind of hurts to move," Karin said sheepishly.

"Well in that case, I guess I'll just have to carry you down to your meal," Hakkai chuckled lightly.

No one decided to question the pair when they finally came down with Karin being half carried by Hakkai down the stairs. Well, Goku being the exception. "What's wrong, Karin? Are you feeling sick?" Goku asked her.

"No, just a little sore," Karin told Goku with a reassuring smile.

"Well at least she's awake," Ran said with a shrug.

"It would have been a problem if we had to wait another day for her," Sanzo agreed lighting up.

"Oh hey Karin…can I have my knife back now?" Ran asked holding out her hand.

"What if I need to stab myself again?" Karin asked jokingly.

"You are never doing that again," Hakkai declared looking down at her.

"Yes sir," Karin conformed.

"So…where's my knife?" Ran asked again.

"Um…I don't have it anymore. I think Setsuna had it last," Karin answered as Hakkai helped her into a seat.

"Great…he left to go see Homura. What am I going to do until we run into him again?" she asked scratching her head.

"Just get another knife," Sanzo told her.

"I can't do that," Ran protested. "That was a special gift from my dad."

"Sorry," Karin said contritely.

"Geez…" Ran sighed.

"Well, we're not waiting around," Sanzo told her not caring. "We're leaving as soon as we're finished eating."

"Fine…maybe I'll make one later…if I can," Ran muttered finishing off the last of her food. The rest of the breakfast went along fairly well and Hakkai helped Karin finish off her food…as she was still having trouble moving.

"Let's get moving already," Sanzo said annoyed by their slowness.

"Yeah yeah, just hold your horses Sanzo," Ran said getting up from the table.

"Hey Sanzo…where's the next town? I can't wait to try the food there," Goku asked excitedly.

"So you're leaving already?" Isamu asked seeing the group walk out the door to the inn.

"Yeah…we need to get going," Karin said smiling.

"Oh…can I come with you Goku? I'll make sure that I cook you all sorts of good food," Reira asked grabbing onto his arm.

"Can she come with us Sanzo?" Goku asked.

"No," Sanzo immediately replied.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"NO!"

"Reira, let go of the monkey," Etsuko sighed.

"Never!" Reira declared.

"Reira…the outside world has no place for us. If you went with them you would only bring them more hardship than they already have," Isamu said to his daughter. "It is time for us to let them leave."

Reira looked at her dad and looked back at Goku. "Goku…you want me to come with you right?" she asked hopefully.

"You're the only one who has ever made me food whenever I wanted," Goku said, his eyes starting to water at the thought of how hungry he knew he was going to be very soon. "I never went hungry with you around."

"These two have issues," Etsuko sighed.

"You don't need to tell ME that," Sanzo muttered.

"Still… I'm kind of sort of going to miss you guys being here too," Etsuko mumbled. When Sanzo looked at her curiously she quickly added. "I was so close to kicking your butt at Majhong."

"Heh…that's never going to happen," Sanzo muttered.

"Well you guys take care…and be sure to send us post cards," Jinichi said waving his hands in farewell.

"Right…we'll try," Ran said smiling.

"Hey…if you ever need those clothes fixed again or if you want something special drop me a line and I'll prepare it no problem," Kogaru said placing a hand on Ran's head.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ran laughed pushing his huge hand off of her.

"Take care all of you…and Karin, Ran be sure to keep an eye out for those Erasers. You don't want one of those on your tails," Isamu said shaking their hands.

Karin and Ran nodded their understanding and together the Sanzo party left the angel village and headed for the barrier. Once there Ran went through first and waited for Karin to help the others through…once again. On the other side she saw to her surprise Setsuna waiting for them.

"Is Karin helping the others through?" he asked slowly. Ran nodded unable to find any words and Setsuna went through the barrier to help out as well.

Karin was already in the process of helping Gojyo and Goku through the barrier when Setsuna passed her. "Good morning, sir," Hakkai greeted him politely. "Were you able to find, Mitsu?"

"Unfortunately no," Setsuna replied. "I'll explain a few things once you all are through the barrier." With that he grabbed hold of Hakkai's arm and Sanzo's arm. "It's best if we don't leave anyone alone on the other side for very long," Setsuna thought as he marched the two through the barrier.

"Oh you just missed Karin…she went back for Hakuryuu and Chihiro," Ran said once the three had made it through. "I told her you were here and she went in to help bring them through…she should be back in a minute or two." She was leaning against a tree while Gojyo stood nearby and Goku was chasing a bird.

"We'll wait then," Setsuna said letting go of Hakkai and Sanzo and taking a seat on the ground to wait. As soon as Karin made it back with Hakuryuu and Chihiro, Setsuna stood up with a serious look on his face and greeted his daughter. "I'm glad I was able to make it back before you all left. There are a few things that I need to tell you before you continue on," Setsuna announced.

They all waited expectantly. "First, I think for the time being, it would be best if both Ran and Karin refrained from using their angelic powers. It will only make you easier to track."

"We can handle that," Karin and Ran said together.

"Secondly, if you come in contact with Mitsu, do not take any chances with him."

"Why…is something wrong?" Ran asked worriedly.

"Unfortunately he's in an even worse state now than he was before. He may be desperate enough to get help from humans or demons at this point," Setsuna explained sadly.

Ran grimaced and Gojyo scoffed, "Figures…he can't do anything by himself so he's willing to sell himself to reach his goals."

"The poor guy…I can't help but feel for him," Karin murmured sadly. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I'm not sure if he's within the realms of help anymore," Setsuna replied with a sigh.

"Is that it?" Sanzo grumbled.

"I believe this belongs to you," he said pulling out Ran's pocket knife.

"Thanks…I use this thing for just about everything," Ran said taking it from him and smiling gratefully.

"Hakuryuu…I think it's time we get on our way," Hakkai said petting the small dragon.

"Kyou!" Hakuryuu turned into a jeep in response and Chihro transformed into her larger state.

Then the Sanzo party piled on except for Sanzo who was momentarily stopped by Setsuna. "One more thing…if things get out of hand…use these," Setsuna said pulling out a box of bullets. "They're made especially for killing angels, gods, and erasers."

"Why do you have these?" Sanzo asked in low tones.

"I got them off of some Erasers a while back and held onto them for future use," Setsuna explained. "I no longer have any use for them, however, but you just might."

"Are you asking me to shoot your friend, the daughter of your friend, or even your own daughter?" Sanzo asked him cryptically.

"Only if you feel you need to," Setsuna replied gravely.

Sanzo stowed the bullets safely away into his robes. "You're quite the father figure."

"And you're quite the monk," Setsuna returned smartly.

"Hey Sanzo come on…I'm getting hungry over here," Goku shouted from the back of Hakuryuu.

"I really don't care about all this…but if they hinder my mission then I won't hesitate to shoot. Whether or not they die is up to them," Sanzo muttered before walking over to Hakuryuu and smacking Goku upside the head.

"I hope you don't have to use them…Genjo Sanzo…but if it does come to that please use your judgment. It may be the only thing that stands between those girls and death's cold fingers," Setsuna thought as he watched the Sanzo party leave with many laughs and the sound of Sanzo firing off several rounds.

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CM: Haha, things will never change. Next time on Saiyuki Fire and Blood....

Gojyo: Why does this all seem so familiar?

Goku: Ran seems to be acting really weird.

Dr. Ni: You seem to want something very badly. Perhaps I can help you.

Sanzo: If I have to, I will kill her.

CM: Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!


	26. Plotting and Scheming

**Plotting and Scheming- A Push is All it Takes**

"Dr. Ni, what is the meaning of this?" Dr. Hwan exclaimed upon walking in and seeing a beautiful golden haired boy lying on a table bare chest with wires taped to him and looking quite composed.

"Just running an analysis, Miss Hwan." Dr. Ni replied innocently.

"You can't just bring in anyone you like in here," she exclaimed furiously. "What if he were to escape, or even worse attempt to sabotage our work?"

"I would never be so careless as to endanger our dear lady's goal," Dr. Ni said with a smile.

"But…what is he?" Dr. Hwan asked fearful of what it could mean for them.

"He is an angel…one of the few fallen angels left in this world," Dr. Ni replied.

"Impossible…angels don't exist," Dr. Hwan retorted.

"Do you honestly believe that m'lady?" the golden haired boy asked. "Because you've never seen one…do you believe that they don't exist?" Dr. Hwan faltered, struck dumb by the harmonious voice that spoke to her. The blond boy slowly sat up and slowly removed each of the wires. "That's rather sad… perhaps I should do something to spark your belief," Mitsu said smiling kindly at her.

She watched in shock as Mitsu's wings appeared on his back…the pale yellow mist that they were. "Remarkable isn't it?" Dr. Ni asked pulling Dr. Hwan out of her stupor.

"What could you possibly be doing with an angel?" Hwan demanded still staring at Mitsu's beauty.

"After the test I just ran I have verified a theory I had. If it proves to be true then we'll have lord Gyumaoh back in shorter time than we planned," Dr. Ni explained looking over his results as he spoke.

"How is that possible? We don't even have the one scripture we had before…thanks to those Gods who invaded," Hwan declared vehemently.

"Well…we'll just have to see now won't we," Ni stated clearly.

Just then the door opened and a strange demon approached. "So what did you want…I heard you had something special for me," he demanded.

"I do…I believe you are familiar with the Sato family?"

The demon smirked as if laughing at some past memory. "I'm acquainted with them. Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping that perhaps you could pay one of them a special visit," Dr. Ni told him smiling. "You may remember her. If my information is correct, you had an affair with her older sister."

The demon thought for a moment. "I think I remember her. Yeah, the annoying little pipsqueak."

"She's not so little anymore. In fact, she's quite developed and in her prime," Dr. Ni informed him.

"Really, in that case I'll have to see just how much she's grown. Besides…if her sister was that hot she's got to be close," the demon smirked. "I suppose you know where she is right?"

"Of course…I just need you to pay her a visit…oh and if you can take the scripture that hangs around the priest's neck," Dr. Ni said smoothly.

"Heh…that should be no problem," the demon replied. Dr. Ni smiled at his enthusiasm and handed him a paper that told where to find them, then as the demon turned to leave he placed a tiny object at the base of his neck.

"You expect someone that weak to be able to obtain the scripture from that priest?" Mitsu asked dubiously.

"You can never tell when someone might surprise you," the doctor said with a smile. "And even if he does fail… that's what pawns are for, sacrifice for a greater goal."

"I don't want her coming to any harm," Mitsu told him firmly.

"Of course you don't," Dr. Ni said holding his bunny up in front of him and taking on a high pitched tone. "Just trust the doctor! He knows what he's doing!"

Mitsu gave him a calculating look. "You're a very peculiar man."

"Just what is it you two are planning exactly?" Dr. Hwan demanded. "I have a right to know and so does Lady Koushou."

Mitsu turned and stared intensely at her with his honey brown eyes, gently taking her hand. "Please just have faith, m'lady. I do everything with good intention."

Her face burned red at his touch and voice and her breathing increased. "Um…okay. I guess I'll trust you for now," Hwan said pulling her hand back slowly and taking several deep breaths. "But you have to report whatever you find to Lady Koushou."

"Of course…we will report everything once it's found," Mitsu said smiling warmly. Hwan's face burned again and she swiftly turned toward the door and went through it.

"The influence an angel has over the human heart…what a spectacle to be had," Dr. Ni grinned. "Now let's get back to work…Mitsu, I have one more thing for you to do before your special task."

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"Guys… I'm starving," Goku moaned.

"That's the fifth-dozenth time today you've said that," Gojyo said beginning to get really fed up with it.

"I miss Reira," Goku whined. "At least she took care of me and never let me go hungry."

"Then maybe you should have stayed there," Gojyo suggested.

"I would have but Sanzo wouldn't let me," Goku complained.

"Biggest mistake of my life," Sanzo grumbled. "Now shut up."

"Why couldn't we take her with us…at least then we'd have food all the time," Goku asked.

"We don't have room for any more stragglers and they'd just get in our way," Sanzo replied angrily.

"They're angels…how in the way could they get?" Goku asked.

"Well, so far Karin and Ran have been prime examples," Gojyo said jokingly.

"And they're only half angels," Hakkai said with a small laugh.

"Could you guys not talk about us like we're not here?" Karin asked from her resting position against Hakkai's shoulder.

"Huh? I thought you were sleeping," Gojyo said.

"Unlike Ran, I'm a light sleeper," she replied.

"Well that must stink…having to wake up while Ran snoozes on like nothing happened," Gojyo chuckled.

"Yeah…but she usually ends up waking up one way or another…though I can never remember how," Karin replied thoughtfully.

"Maybe she has a really good nose that only wakes her up when she smells danger," Goku suggested poking at Ran's head.

"Kind of like you, except with food," Gojyo said ruffling the younger kid's hair.

"Take that back!"

Chihiro had wandered onto Sanzo's lap and he let out a sneeze. "Why again are you two not riding in this mangy fur ball?"

"Because Ran didn't get much sleep last night and riding like that really hurts," Karin replied.

"Must have been some ride," Gojyo snickered.

"Gojyo I'd really appreciate it if you kept those comments to yourself," Hakkai said from the driver seat.

"Okay…I'll lay off the fun you had from last night," Gojyo chuckled.

"What fun? What are you talking about?" Goku asked confused.

"Forget about it Goku," Gojyo said shaking his head.

"Will you all just shut up?" Sanzo demanded sneezing as Chihiro rubbed herself up against his chest.

Suddenly Hakuryuu started to slow down as the sun sank below the far off mountains. "Uh-oh…looks like Hakuryuu's getting tired. We'll have to stay here for tonight," Hakkai said putting on the breaks.

The party set up camp before Goku flopped face down onto the ground yowling like a dog stuck in the washing machine about his hunger pains. "Quit your belly aching, dumb monkey," Gojyo told him, stepping on his back.

"You ass! Don't step on me like some sort of door mat!"

"Then don't lay there like one," Gojyo returned. "The mistake is easy to make."

"Take that back!" Goku shouted.

"Make me!"

"I'm gonna shove my pole down your throat!"

"Maybe you should shove it down your own and make it extend. Maybe that'll fill you up!"

"In two seconds you two are gonna be full of lead if you don't shut up!" Sanzo shouted.

"And the love continues to thrive in our happy little family," Karin commented as she made some tea.

Ran slowly sat up as the shouting continued and rubbed her eyes. "Man…and I was finally able to get to sleep," she mumbled tiredly. "Hey…where are we?"

"About a day or so away from the next town. Hakuryuu's exhausted so we decided to stop for the night," Hakkai explained.

"Oh…I'm sorry Hakuryuu. Maybe next time I'll carry you," Ran said yawning and stretching. "I'm guessing the reason Goku's complaining so much is because there isn't any food nearby."

"I'm afraid so," Hakkai nodded.

"Well, I can take care of that," Ran said jumping up. "Hey guys! I'm gonna go find us something to eat! Anyone want to come along?"

"Can't move… so hungry…" Goku moaned.

"Forget it, I just got relaxed," Sanzo said not budging.

"Currently busy, sorry," Karin waved.

"I'll go," Gojyo volunteered, of course.

Ran rolled her eyes but agreed and the two of them headed off toward the north. Along the way Ran had to shake her head to keep herself from falling asleep where she was. "Wow…I'm really tired. I guess not getting a full night's sleep for four nights in a row is really bad," she thought.

Then suddenly she tripped and Gojyo caught her from behind. "You need to be a little more careful there," Gojyo said holding her around the waist.

Ran's face turned really red and the thought about how warm he was crossed her mind. "Thanks…" Ran muttered getting back to her feet.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "So what's been keeping you up these last few days?"

Ran didn't answer. She hadn't gotten very much sleep since that night she and Gojyo had shared that kiss. Right after that, she had stayed up all night tossing and turning with the burning sensation his lips had left behind. And then when Mitsu had brainwashed her, her nights were filled with confusing dreams of both of them.

"Hey, you're spacing out again," Gojyo told her, putting his face inches from hers in order to get her attention.

She could feel and smell his breath on her face and something burned inside of her to close the gap between their faces. "Sorry…I guess I'm still just a little tired," Ran said pulling away from him with some difficulty. "Oh…do you hear that?" Gojyo glanced around curious as to why she changed the subject. "Sounds like a river is nearby. I'm going to go grab some fish…that should make Goku happy. I'll race you," Ran said smiling at him and running toward the North and the river.

Gojyo blinked as he suddenly got a strong flash of déjà vu and a feeling of foreboding washed over him. "Hey Ran, wait up!" He called running after her.

"Hurry up slow poke!" Ran called back to him.

Fear suddenly rushed through Gojyo when he suddenly realized when and where he had experienced something very similar to this before. "Ran, stop!"

"What?" Ran called looking back for a second. Moments later a shadow rushed across the plain and Ran spotted him a moment too late. The shadow reached her and the flash of metal shone through the night as red splattered the ground and Ran fell to the ground with a shout of pain. "I…I can't move," she thought trying to push herself up. A large amount of pain shot through her back forcing her to stay down.

"Ran!" Gojyo shouted but stopped when a guy with dark spiky hair crouched over Ran with a knife against the back of her neck.

"Move an inch closer and her throat will be next."

"That voice…." Ran gasped. She craned her neck and her eyes widened. "You!"

"Yeah, that's right, shrimp. It's me, the guy who slept with your sister."

"Y…you're a demon?" Ran demanded surprised.

"Yeah…you thought I was human? Wow your family was easy to get close to," the demon taunted. "Surprisingly the youngest one was the only one who didn't trust me."

Gojyo stared at the demon in anger, "So this is the guy who got Ran's sister killed."

"I said stay back…Sha Gojyo the half-breed. It's obvious you care for this shrimp, but move too much and I'll be sending her to the other side."

Gojyo gritted his teeth. He wasn't fast enough to save Ran without a distraction. And then he got an idea, a crazy idea, but it was the best he could do at the moment. "Okay buddy, you have your hostage, now what do you want?" Gojyo asked.

"Easy, I want two things. The first is the Maten scripture," he said before running a few fingers over Ran's neck. "And second, I'm planning to have some fun with this one."

"You've already done enough to her family…why not leave her alone?" Gojyo demanded angrily.

"Easy…when I was going at her sister I always thought she was quite the strange child…but she did always have that little feistiness that made me wonder what she'd be like in the future. Now I see it and I'm loving how sexy she's become. She has even more stuff to play with than her sister did," the demon explained with an evil laugh. "Now don't just sit there, call over that Sanzo priest so we can get this over with."

"What kind of jerk takes unwilling women to bed with him?" Gojyo asked him, hoping he would take the bait. He wasn't disappointed.

"Unwilling? She practically begged me to take her."

Ran gritted her teeth hearing him talk badly about her sister. She remembered how her sister had felt when she went into her room crying because she didn't know if she should. Suddenly Ran felt her vision blur and her heart increased its rate. "Oh no…not now…please not now," she thought desperately.

"Yeah, she was so happy about that night that she cried…and she cried hard all night lo-ahh!," the demon shouted jumping back with an arrow in his hand.

"Heh, did you honestly think that little knife was going to keep me back…you scumbag? Talking about my sister like she's some kind of slut….I'm going to kill you," Ran said standing up from the ground…blood dripping down her back.

"Heh… like you could do anything to me, brat," the demon snarled, ripping the arrow out and tossing it aside.

"Just for that I'm not going to make it at all pleasant for you." Ran smirked derisively and blood red wings appeared on her back. "You have no idea who you're messing with."

The demon's eyes widened as her wings appeared and Gojyo started getting really worried. Ran rushed forward faster than the eye can see and in seconds had him up in the air by the neck. "I hate creeps like you," she said squeezing his throat.

"Wh…what are you?"

"I'm an angel…and your worst nightmare," Ran stated smirking. Then a light appeared in her hand and the demon disintegrated. "Heh…much too easy. Hey Cherry top how about giving me a good work out?"

"This is the part that I was dreading," Gojyo said running a hand through his hair. "Can we just skip the fight and say we did?"

"You really talk too much," Ran scoffed. "Just get your weapon out and fight already."

"Ran, just snap out of it already," Gojyo told her. "If we fight you won't have any energy for the between the sheets action."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about anything after the fight….you won't be alive long enough," Ran said pulling out her war hammer. "Just make this fun for me…got it."

With that she dove at him brandishing her weapon with one hand and having a light appear at the palm of her other hand. Gojyo pulled out his staff just in time to block her attack but had to jump to the side in order to dodge her next one. He was using every ounce of agility he had just to keep her from hitting him and he had the sneaking suspicion that she was just toying with him. "Why not fight back…am I moving too fast for you?" Ran asked swinging her hammer around and barely missing Gojyo's head.

"Dammit," Gojyo thought. Nothing he said seemed to be working. And if this kept up, she might really end up killing him. Even as he watched, her wings were being to grow lighter. "Ran, cool it would you? This isn't like you," Gojyo shouted at her.

"Shut up!" She shouted striking a blow and knocking him to the ground. She was about to bring her hammer down, when gunfire occurred and her body jerked forward.

Her eyes widened and her grip on her hammer loosened having her weapon fall to the ground. A spot of blood appeared in the left side of her chest and her wings vanished letting her fall. Gojyo barely managed to catch her and he stared at her face as blood spilled from her lips and her back all over his hands.

"Ran…open your eyes. Say something," Gojyo pleaded brushing her short hair out of her face.

Ran groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "Gojyo…I'm sorry," she mumbled softly. "I hurt you…I'm so sorry."

Gojyo breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she was alive. He looked up to see Sanzo holding a smoking gun and the others coming up behind him. "Hakkai, hurry up and close her wound before she bleeds to death," Sanzo told him, putting the gun away.

"Got it," Hakkai said rushing over to Gojyo and Ran. Karin and Goku stood back not wanting to crowd Ran while she was in such a state.

"Just hold on…Hakkai's going to fix you up and this is all going to be over," Gojyo said putting a finger over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," Ran whispered again closing her eyes.

"Ran…Ran," Gojyo said grabbing her hand and trying to wake her up.

"She'll be just fine…Gojyo," Hakkai told him pulling out the bullet and smiling. "Let her rest…she needs it."

Gojyo did what he was told and shut his mouth. After Hakkai closed the wound, Gojyo carried Ran back to camp. On the way back, Karin gave Sanzo a hug. "What the hell?" Sanzo snapped, though being too lazy to push her off himself.

"Thank you," Karin said. "For what you did back there."

"What do you mean…I didn't do anything," Sanzo grumbled angrily.

"Ran would have never forgiven herself if she had hurt Gojyo. I think she'll be thankful to you also…especially since you kept her alive too," Karin explained happily.

"If she dies it's up to her…all I did was keep her from making this trip even worse," Sanzo grumbled. "Now get off of me."

"Aw, just a few more seconds?" Karin asked teasingly.

"Off!" He barked.

"You can act all tough but deep down you're just a big fuzzy wuzzy bear with lots of hair, aren't you?" Karin giggled.

"Hakkai! Would you do something about this?"

"I'm sorry Sanzo but I'm pretty busy right now," Hakkai replied making sure that Ran stayed on her stomach to keep her from reopening the wound on her back.

"Hurry up mister fuzzy wuzzy, she might just grow really attached to you," Gojyo chuckled.

"Do you want to die?" Sanzo threatened. "I'll send the two of you together."

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Meanwhile at Houtu castle, Lirin was merrily skipping down the hallways without a care in the world while eluding Dr. Hwan. "Lalalala- oof!" She grunted as she bounced off of something and fell back onto her bottom. "Hey what was that for?" She demanded looking up the offender. The anger was immediately wiped away from her face to be replaced with fascination.

"My apologies," Mitsu said crouching down so that he was eye level with her. "Are you alright?"

"Yep…it takes a lot more than that to get me down," Lirin exclaimed bouncing back onto her feet. "Who are you anyway goldy?"

"My name is Mitsu Bishi…I just started working with Dr. Ni," Mitsu answered warmly.

"Oh…my name's Lirin. Nice ta meecha, goldy," Lirin said happily. "So where you going?"

"I was just heading to speak with Dr. Ni," Mitsu answered.

"Cool…well I'd better…"

"Lirin…where are you? Uuh…that little brat is such a pain," a voice called out angrily.

"Oh great…it's the witch," Lirin muttered glancing around for a place to hide. She spotted a large bin and dove in just as Dr. Hwan came around the corner.

"Good afternoon, Miss Hwan," Mitsu greeted.

"Have you seen a red haired child come this way?" She asked him, trying to let her eyes linger on him.

"Our paths might have crossed," Mitsu admitted.

"Where did she go?"

"Is it imperative that you know?"

"Yes, there are some tests I need to run on her, now please tell me where she is," She said.

"Miss Hwan, you strike me as a very hard working woman," Mistu told her approaching her and tracing a finger over her cheek. "Why not take a break and get a little rest?"

Dr. Hwan shuddered at his touch and her eyes closed for a moment. "Yeah…maybe I…maybe I should take a break," she stuttered blinking.

Mitsu smiled and placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward slightly. "She's gone," Mitsu said once Dr. Hwan and vanished around the corner.

Lirin popped her head out, looking around before climbing out. "Hey, thanks a million, blondie!"

"You're very welcome," Mitsu replied with a smile before turning and continuing on his way. "Has there been any news?" Mitsu asked upon walking into the lab.

"It seems that our little friend failed," Dr. Ni informed him not sounding too concerned.

"As expected," Mitsu replied not at all surprised.

"I did manage to get some useful data from him. I'm afraid though that you're dearly beloved was terribly injured."

"What happened? Did that demon do something to her?" Mitsu demanded angrily.

"No…but while he was there she went berserk and that Sanzo priest…shot her," Dr. Ni explained.

"He would shoot one of his own companions?" Mitsu asked shocked.

"Unfortunately he doesn't see any of them as companions. If any of them got in his way…he'd shoot them too…without any remorse."

"I knew that traveling with a bunch of demons and a human was a mistake. They don't care about her safety at all," Mitsu growled.

"Would you like to help her?" Dr. Ni asked grinning. Mitsu nodded vehemently and waited for Dr. Ni's next words. "Then take this, save her, grab the Maten Scripture, and meet me at my other lab," Dr. Ni told him handing him a small medallion and a small piece of paper with coordinates.

"What is this?" Mitsu said holding up the object with curiosity.

"That's a special object that will increase your powers significantly," Dr. Ni told him with a smile. "Just don't grow too attached to it."

Mitsu nodded and placed it around his neck. "Thank you for all your help…Mr. Ni," Mitsu said bowing. Then he turned and left determination boiling in his blood.

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"Hmm…where am I?" Ran mumbled as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. She realized that she was lying on her stomach with her head facing toward her left. She flexed her fingers for a few seconds breathing deeply as every muscle screamed in protest. She then attempted to move her arm up to her head and push herself up but the pain surging through her body made it impossible.

"Don't move," a voice told her.

"Gojyo? Is that you?" Ran panted.

"Yeah, I'm right here. So just relax and don't move," he repeated.

"What happened?" She asked after settling back down.

"Well, you wasted the demon… and then Sanzo shot you," Gojyo told her.

"Heh…no wonder my chest hurts," Ran chuckled. She flinched at this movement and sighed, "Ah…note to self…laughing hurts."

"Then don't…this isn't a funny situation," Gojyo told her coming into view.

"I'm sorry…laughing at my own misfortune helps me cope with it," Ran replied slowly. "So why is my back in so much pain?"

"That demon sliced it up good," Gojyo told her.

"Oh…I'm guessing that's why I can't move right," Ran said smiling. "I'd laugh again but that really hurts."

"You really should learn when to listen. If you'd have done that we might have avoided all this," Gojyo said sternly.

"How does that work?" Ran asked.

"I told you to stop, didn't you hear me?" Gojyo asked.

"Oh come on," Ran rolled her eyes. "Like that would have made a difference." Even when she's in bed recovering she has an attitude, Gojyo thought in disbelief.

"Where's everyone else…I didn't…hurt anyone did I?" Ran asked her face falling slightly.

"No….Sanzo managed to stop you before anything happened," Gojyo told her.

"That's good…I was afraid I might have…you know," Ran muttered.

"Well, you didn't, so don't worry about it," Gojyo told her, brushing some hair out of her face. As he did so, his fingers brushed against her cheek, leaving a tickling feeling behind.

Ran closed her eyes and took a deep breath as his hand stroked her cheek. "Hey Gojyo…um…have you been here the whole time?" Ran asked looking for something to talk about.

"What, do you think I'd leave you alone like this?" Gojyo asked grinning.

"No…but I was wondering how long I've been out…and I was just curious," Ran replied biting her lip.

"You've been out all night and all morning. It's the afternoon now," Gojyo told her.

"Oh… well thanks," Ran said feeling her insides fluttering.

"No problem. Is there anything you want?" He asked her.

"Some food would be nice," Ran said feeling a little famished.

"Got it," Gojyo told her smiling. "How's your head feeling?"

"A little sore, but other than that…" She stopped abruptly when Gojyo pulled aside some of her hair and kissed her temple.

"Just sit tight, I'll be back with something for you to eat." And he left.

Ran heaved a sigh and closed her eyes feeling her insides burn….but not because of the pain. "I promised him I'd give him an answer….but I'm not sure if I really can. The last time he couldn't stop me so that won't really be a problem but…what happens if I tell him and then lose him?" she thought to herself. "I'm so…lost."

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"Hakkai, give it back," Karin complained.

"If you want it back, then just take it," Hakkai said dangling the food above her head teasingly.

She jumped up and grabbed for it but he pulled it out of the way. "Leggo my eggroll," Karin demanded.

"Nope…this is just too much fun," Hakkai said smiling as she continued to jump for it.

"Give it back you sadist," Karin shouted.

"Coming from the masochist that's funny," Hakkai replied laughing.

"MEAT!" Karin cried before jumping at Hakkai in a flying tackle. They fell to the floor in a heap and rolled around for a bit until they came to a stop with Karin on top.

"Um…you do realize that eggrolls have no meat in them…right?" Hakkai asked amused.

"No, but you do," Karin said deftly plucking the eggroll from his hand and popping it into her mouth. "Oh, wait, that's right. You're just skin and bones aren't you? My mistake."

"You're exceptionally vivacious this morning," Hakkai noted, lying back on the hardwood floor, not seeming to be in any hurry to get up. "Something weighing on your mind?"

"How is it that you can read me like a flashing neon sign?" Karin sighed relaxing on his chest.

"Well, you are very easy to read after seeing you act for as long as I have," Hakkai said smiling.

"Meh…I'll bet your monocle is magical or something," Karin replied jokingly.

"Haha….all right…so what is on your mind?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"Well, I just feel really bad for Ran and Gojyo," Karin conveyed. "I know those two want each other but they're both too stubborn and stupid to admit it."

"It is in their nature," Hakkai agreed.

"So I was thinking maybe we should give them a little push," Karin suggested. "I could talk to Gojyo, and you could speak with Ran."

"Isn't it easier to have….girl talk?" Hakkai asked. "I figured you'd be able to get to her easier."

"Come on Hakkai…haven't you ever heard of cross examination?" Karin asked playfully.

"Yes…but what makes you think I will be able to give her the needed push?"

"You can give her the guy's perspective…after all I'm pretty sure that Gojyo feels the same way right now as you used to," Karin explained.

"You know, that actually makes sense," Hakkai said after some thought.

"Don't sound so astounded that I actually have a brain," Karin said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You know…it would probably be better if you guys did that in a more…private room," Gojyo chuckled.

"Ah Gojyo perfect timing," Karin exclaimed leaping off of Hakkai's chest and grabbing Gojyo's hand. "Your room, now…let's go."

"Woah…sorry Hakkai looks like I stole your woman," Gojyo laughed surprised by Karin's enthusiasm.

"Now now, just cause you can't get one of your own," Hakkai returned with a smile.

Before Gojyo could make a comeback Karin piped up, "You guys can have your verbal love war later, let's go," she said urgently tugging Gojyo's arm.

"Woah…what's got you so hyped up all of a sudden?" Gojyo asked raising an eyebrow.

"If I told you it had something to do with a bed would that move you faster?" Karin asked.

"It might," Gojyo replied confused. "Oh well might as well go with it," he thought.

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CM: Will Karin's and Hakkai's plan work? Can the couple possibly make a couple out of their two friends despite the odds? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter of Fire and Blood!


	27. Tying the Knot

**Tying the Knot- When Things Come Together**

Once Karin was finished dragging him to his room and shutting the door behind him, she plopped down on his bed and sat Indian style at the center. "Alright, what's this about?" Gojyo asked her sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Would it be alright if I asked you a personal question?" Karin asked.

"Uh… sure?" Gojyo said uncertainly.

"How do you feel about Ran?"

"Oh so that's what this is about," Gojyo thought shaking his head. "Well I've liked her for quite some time now," Gojyo finally said.

"Like what level of liking are we talking about?" Karin asked tilting her head from side to side.

"When you ask it like that I'd say about the same level as you and Hakkai," he admitted with a shrug.

"Well have you told her that?" Karin asked with a smile.

"Yeah…did you notice the time she pretty much ignored me?" Gojyo reminded her.

"So I was right," Karin remarked triumphantly.

"Don't sound so thrilled about it," Gojyo told her pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up.

"Aw, do you have to," Karin said crinkling her nose.

"Sorry, but I haven't had a smoke since the run in with the demon and I need nicotine."

"Well, okay, just don't blow it this way, please," she requested.

"Sure thing," he agreed.

"Okay, so you told Ran you liked her and she started ignoring you afterwards. Do you have any idea why?"

"Beats me…I just know that after I told her what I felt she said she couldn't and then left," Gojyo answered confused. "You saw what happened after that."

"It's because she's afraid of hurting you," Karin told him.

"Because of her berserk mode right?" Gojyo muttered.

"Of course…that and she's completely in love with you," Karin said smiling.

"Somehow I doubt that's true," Gojyo muttered.

"I swear, Gojyo. I thought you had better perception than that," Karin sighed, shaking her head. "She's been in love with you from the start, ever since she met you."

"If what you're saying is true, then why has she rejected every advance I made on her?" Gojyo challenged.

"Because like you, Ran is very prideful and stubborn," Karin answered with zero ill intention.

"Oh…I guess that would do it," Gojyo chuckled. "So this whole time's she really has been playing hard to get."

"In a sense," Karin agreed.

"So she really does like me…but won't admit it because she's stubborn and scared she'll hurt me?" Gojyo asked putting it all together.

"Bingo…you win the prize," Karin exclaimed happily.

"Okay so then if she won't tell me then what do I do? I'm not about to stop but I don't know how to get her," Gojyo stated.

"Well, just convince her that you're willing to be with her, despite the risks involved," Karin told him gently. "Also… you might want to ease up on sleeping around with other women."

"Ah…but that's half the fun," Gojyo said laughing.

"I'm not telling you to change your ways…just giving you a little bit of friendly advice," Karin put in.

"Well in that case…I might cut back…a little bit. So is there anything else you wanted?"

"Yeah go and embrace the woman that you love," Karin said pumping her fist in the air.

"You're enjoying this way too much," Gojyo said with a snigger. After that he stood up and left the room heading down to the kitchen for some food.

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"Mind if I come in?" Hakkai's warm voice asked startling Ran out of her reverie.

"Yeah…come in," Ran replied unable to see anything.

He came in, and soundlessly walked over to the chair next to the bed, sat down. "It's nice to see you're awake," he said smiling. "Mind if I take a look at how you're recovering?"

"Go ahead," Ran said, with an attempt at a shrug.

Hakkai checked her vitals before saying, "I'm actually surprised to see you're looking this well. You suffered two fatal wounds and lost a lot of blood. I guess angels are just fast recoverers."

"Naw…I doubt that's what it is. My brother would probably say I'm just too stubborn to kick the bucket," Ran chuckled…but for only a second. "I've got to quit doing that."

"Yes…please don't do anything that causes you pain," Hakkai said shaking his head.

"So what brings you up here…I get the feeling that it's not just to see how I'm doing," Ran asked grinning.

"Karin wanted me to speak with you about something," Hakkai told her in honesty.

"Oh, what's that?" Ran asked curiously.

"It's about you and Gojyo."

"Oh… that," Ran said now dreading she had asked.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," Hakkai said not sounding offended. "This probably isn't exactly the most comfortable topic of conversation for you."

"Heh…you got that right," Ran grumbled. "This isn't exactly the most comfortable position either."

"Yes but you need to stay like that until your back wound fully heals or it may reopen," Hakkai told her.

"I figured. So what about my relationship do you want to know?" Ran asked heaving a sigh.

"Well, Karin has this crazy idea that you might have feelings for our dear womanizing friend," Hakkai stated joshingly.

Ran sighed. "Well, she'd know best, wouldn't she?"

"You two are rather close," Hakkai nodded.

"Yeah, we kinda are, aren't we?"

"Yes, and you're avoiding the question," Hakkai stated perceptively.

"Yeah okay, so….there is something there," Ran admitted.

"Care to elaborate on the…something?" Hakkai asked smiling.

"Well…I kinda….fell for him okay," Ran admitted finally.

"That's what I figured," Hakkai chuckled. "So what's keeping you from telling him that?"

"Um…I…well I don't want to hurt him," Ran said softly.

"Oh dear, now where have I heard that before," Hakkai murmured, shaking his head.

"Come again?" Ran asked, not having heard him clearly.

"I can understand why you'd be afraid of hurting Gojyo," Hakkai said kindly. "But honestly, I think that by trying to protect him, you might only be hurting him more."

"How's that?" Ran asked surprised.

"Well, I personally have found that having Karin try to protect me really irritated me. At best I felt pretty helpless when she got hurt for my sake. I'm pretty sure that Gojyo feels the same way," Hakkai explained.

"So I should just disregard the danger then?" Ran asked rolling her eyes. "How can boys be so egotistical?" she thought with a sigh.

"I didn't say that," Hakkai chuckled. "Just be honest with him, and yourself."

"Easy enough to say," Ran mumbled.

"Trust me, it will be easier in the long run," Hakkai assured her.

"After seeing your troubles with Karin…I guess you're probably right. I'll give it a shot…but I'm not sure how it'll go," Ran said sighing.

"Love is never a sure thing," Hakkai told her.

"Yeah…sometimes I wish though," she muttered.

As Hakkai was leaving the room, Gojyo was on his way down the hall with a tray of food. "Huh? Didn't expect to see you up here," Gojyo said.

"Ran's recovering fine, just make sure she doesn't strain herself," Hakkai said in answer.

"I'll do that, thanks," Gojyo said before going in.

After the door was shut, Hakkai felt someone grab him around the waist from behind. "So how'd it go?" A voice asked impishly.

"I think things are going to go…quite a bit smoother," Hakkai told her smiling.

"Yay...so then shall we go shopping for supplies?" Karin asked happily.

"Yes…I'm sure Goku will be quite grateful to us if we did," Hakkai replied.

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"So…still hungry?" Gojyo asked walking into the angel's room.

"Yeah..." Ran muttered as her stomach growled loudly.

"Well I bring relief," Gojyo said setting down the platter of food on the bedside table.

"Wow…looks good," Ran murmured trying to sit up.

"Yeah, somehow I managed to make it back up here without the monkey taking any of it," Gojyo joked as he placed his hand on Ran's shoulder. "Hakkai did say that he didn't want you to strain yourself."

Ran laughed a little. "That is a miracle," she murmured ignoring what he said about Hakkai The two lapsed into silence for awhile as Gojyo smoked while carefully helping Ran eat her food. "Still…I'm happy that I didn't hurt anyone."

"You still worried about that?" Gojyo asked annoyed.

"Yeah…I can't help it if I'm worried about my friends' safety," Ran muttered relaxing into the pillow after finishing her food.

"No, I guess you really can't," Gojyo sighed, putting the cigarette out in the ashtray.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly.

"It's no big deal," Gojyo told her. "I mean you can't help the fact that you're-"

"No, I mean I'm sorry for ignoring you after… that night," Ran told him. "I guess I was just surprised, and scared," she admitted.

"Uh huh…" Gojyo said, encouraging her to continue.

"I...appreciate all your help….and I'm sorry about all the stuff with Mitsu," Ran continued. "Usually I never drop my guard but for some reason I did around him. If I hadn't I wouldn't have been caught by his little song."

"We all have our stupid moments," Gojyo said comfortingly as he ruffled her hair softly.

She relished the feeling of his fingers in her hair. "Yeah, I must be the stupidest girl on the planet."

Gojyo didn't laugh, but there was amusement in his voice as he asked, "And why is that?"

"Because I've had several moments like that…not that I'm going to explain those to you," Ran said smiling.

"Okay…I'll give you that. So, you going to answer my question?" Gojyo asked with a grin.

"What question?"

"Why you haven't been able to get any sleep those last few days," Gojyo explained.

"Oh…that question…I was hoping you forgot," Ran said sheepishly. Gojyo sat back and folded his arms and waited…moments later Ran caved and decided to tell him. "Well to be honest…it was because I…couldn't get that…k-kiss out of my mind."

"Well, who could blame you?" Gojyo said trying not to look too pleased with himself… and failing.

Ran rolled her eyes. "But that was only part of it. The truth is…"

"You were afraid of getting too close and hurting me, I get it," Gojyo said. "You and Karin… don't you know it's the man's job to protect the women?"

"Why can't it be both ways?" Ran asked smiling.

"Eh…guys have too much ego to let the girls do the protecting," Gojyo told her.

"Then I suppose my fear of you and Mitsu getting into a major fight is also baseless," Ran guessed.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well the other reason I haven't been able to sleep is that Mitsu's song kept playing in my head and then I kept seeing the two of you getting into a major fight that would lead to both of you dying," Ran explained.

"I would never lose to that pansy-assed golden boy," Gojyo told her firmly.

Ran giggled. "Naw, you're too tough to be defeated by an angel whose full powers we've yet to see and whose very voice can sway people."

"Problem is, I don't swing that way, sweet heart," Gojyo said grinning.

"I was meaning it would affect you just like Karin's voice did when she went all demony," Ran said rolling her eyes. "With that little ability he could render you helpless."

"So I'll punch him out before he has the chance to open his mouth," Gojyo declared.

"Haha…I'm sure you would…but please don't. I know he caused a few problems but he had a hard life and I'm sure he has a good side too. Otherwise my mom wouldn't have become friends with him," Ran told him before turning her face into the pillow.

"Fine, I won't kill the guy, but that's all I'm promising," Gojyo told her seriously.

"I guess that's good enough," Ran chuckled.

"So, is there anything else that's been bothering you?" Gojyo asked, almost with a hint of expectation.

"Well… I did promise I'd give you an answer. Gojyo, the truth is… I…" Ran closed her eyes. "I like you… more than just a friend too."

A smirk spread across Gojyo's lips. "Good to know."

"What? No perverted comment?" Ran asked in surprise.

"Nah, not this time," Gojyo said with a laugh. "However, there is one little problem."

"What's that?" Ran asked.

"That guy's had his lips on you," Gojyo said gently tracing her lips with his thumb. "We're gonna need to get rid of that."

Ran's face turned really red as his face got close to hers. Then for the second time she felt his lips close around hers; warm and tender they made her heart soar. When he pulled back she smiled at him and he stroked her cheek. "You're looking pretty tired there," Gojyo said softly.

"Yeah….I guess I am," she agreed breathing heavily.

"Well, why don't you get some rest?" He suggested. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"Hmmm, I know you're not," she murmured happily. A few minutes later she was sound asleep.

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The next morning Hakkai and Karin decided to take a tour of the town while Sanzo took Goku to get something to eat. "Well I guess your plan worked," Hakkai said smiling. "I just saw Gojyo and he had a very large grin on his face."

"That's good…I was starting to think they'd never get there," Karin replied happily.

"Well, you did help to give them quite a push," Hakkai said smiling.

"I couldn't help it," Karin told him with a grin. "I'm a sucker for romance." If only he knew the half of it. Though, as much as she loved romantic stories, Karin had been beginning to wonder if she would ever have one of her own. Not anymore.

"Yes you are…but I find that little aspect…endearing," Hakkai chuckled. "If you didn't have that little quirk it wouldn't be so easy to tease you."

"Why are you so cruel to me?" Karin asked in a false pout. But truly she loved his teasing. She knew that it was just his way -one of his many ways actually- that he showed that he cared.

"It's not cruelty…I just enjoy seeing your reactions," Hakkai replied with a shrug. "I think you're very cute when you get flustered." Karin blushed and looked at the ground. "See you're doing it again," Hakkai chuckled. She tried covering her burning face with her hands, but he gently took her wrists and moved her hands away. "Don't do that."

"No, my face is hideous when I blush," Karin said trying to cover her face again.

But Hakkai wouldn't let her. "Far from it. What ever gave you that silly idea?"

"Looking in the mirror," Karin said. Hakkai held her wrists firmly at her sides.

"You are very beautiful and nothing will change that," Hakkai said firmly. Karin's face darkened and mumbled something incoherent. "I'm sorry what was that…I didn't hear it?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"Sometimes I think this is too good to be true," Karin said.

"And why is that?" Hakkai asked.

"Because all my life I've felt that love was never meant for someone like me," Karin replied sadly.

"You're wrong," Hakkai told her, his voice suddenly becoming hard. Karin looked up at him, a little startled.

"Everyone deserves a chance at love…it just took me awhile to realize I still had that chance," Hakkai said soberly. "You deserve that chance more that anyone I know."

Karin stared up at his somber face and smiled bringing light back to it. "Thank you…I don't know what I'd do without you," she said giving him a big hug.

Hakkai smiled and gave her a warm kiss. "That's better…never lose that smile okay," Hakkai said happily. "It doesn't matter what happens from here on out. I'll always be here and to me you are a wonderful woman."

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That same morning Ran awoke to the sound of birds chirping merrily just outside her window. She glanced toward the light but was unable to see anything but sky out of the window. She sighed with annoyance and tried once again to sit up only to have a hand push her back down again.

"You know if you keep up this stubbornness you'll make Hakkai pretty mad," Gojyo chuckled. "Not that I mind but you'll make me sad again if you hurt yourself."

"Sorry…I was just trying to see the birds," Ran explained wearily. "I haven't seen anything except this room and anyone who comes to visit since I was hurt."

"Well according to doctor Hakkai you shouldn't be moving even if that's all you're wanting," Gojyo said shaking his head. "So how about some breakfast?'

"Sounds great," Ran murmured relaxing her body.

Gojyo smiled and set the platter of food down that he managed to swipe without Goku knowing. Then he picked up the chopsticks and started feeding her again. Ran had no complaint over this system but secretly couldn't wait until she could feed herself again.

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The town was quite lively as Hakkai and Karin made their way through it looking for some food as well as taking a break from Sanzo and Goku….as Gojyo was completely preoccupied with taking care of Ran. As they passed booth after booth Karin was becoming more and more excited as it appeared that a fair of some sort would be starting soon.

"Hakkai can we check out the fair?" Karin asked suddenly. "It looks like it'll be a lot of fun."

"I don't see why not," Hakkai chuckled. "After all…the longer we can be together without the others the better."

Karin smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist before heading for the crowd that was gathering in the center of the town. Aparently that day was the anniversary of the town's creation and to celebrate it they had many games and contests where the prize for winning was free food.

"Wow…I'm sure Goku would love this," Karin exclaimed looking at all the stuff they had lying around.

"As I'm sure you are," Hakkai laughed. "Well this certainly is a wonderful opportunity as we can get all the food we need for free." With that he decided to sign up for a drinking contest and won several cases of good sake. "That should make Sanzo happy," he chuckled amusedly.

Karin was surprised that he didn't even get a buzz off of it considering he drank several bottles of sake while all the others passed out from drinking too much. "Way to go Hakkai…you were great," she exclaimed, congratulating him with a kiss. "Now it's my turn," she added spying a cake eating contest with several cases of meatbuns as the prize.

Several minutes later she came ontop and smiled in triumph with the cases of sweet meatbuns in her arms. Hakkai congratulated her with a kiss as well and for the rest of that morning they toured around the big celebration. Together they entered several different contest, played many different games and ended up with enough food to make Goku full…at least for a little bit.

As their tour was coming to an end a small item caught Karin's eyes as it lay on the table of an old lady's jewelry display. "Excuse me," Karin asked. "What may ask is that?"

"This?" the old lady asked looking at the object. "It's an old family heirloom…I've just got it out here to show a piece of our town's heritage."

"Where did you get it?"

"It was handed down through my family for generations from the first ones who settled here," the old lady responded. "My Great-Great-Grandmother found it lying on the ground after the old inhabitants fled."

"Who were they?"

"I'm not sure," the old lady replied. "I have heard though that they were a large group of people who's beauty was beyond description. Aparently only a few of them wore these as ways of protecting themselves."

"Hakkai…I think that might be….a limiter," Karin whispered turning back to Hakkai.

"I think you might be right," Hakkai agreed. "How are we going to get it though?"

"I think I have an idea," Karin whispered. "Ma'am…would it be alright if I could have this?" she asked turning back to the old lady.

"I'm afraid that I really do not wish to part with it," the old lady told her.

"Is there a way we could pay for it?" Hakkai asked stepping in.

"I'm afraid there is no amount of money that could replace it," the old lady told them.

"Well…is there anything that we could trade for it?" Karin asked insistently.

"Well…I don't understand why you're so interested….but," the old lady started, "there is one thing that I would be willing to trade for." Hakkai and Karin nodded in the attempt to coerce her into continuing on….they weren't disappointed. "I have always wanted a rare blue rose with red thorns that's supposed to lengthen one's lifespan."

"I've heard of that rose before," Karin told Hakkai. "It's a rare flower that's said only to grow nearby mountain streams."

"Well that sure makes it easy," Hakkai sighed. "At least you know of it. So if we get this flower to you…you'll allow us to have the heirloom?"

"Oh you children aren't planning on going after it are you?" the old lady asked. "The area around the mountain stream is very dangerous…I've heard rumors that a strong band of demons make that area their camp, just so they can have as long a life as they desire."

"We'll take that chance," Hakkai said smiling.

"Very well…if you can manage to bring it back to me then I'll give this to you," the old lady agreed. "Just be sure to be careful dears."

"Thank you very much for your kindness," Karin said quickly with a bow.

With that the pair hurried off to the inn where Karin picked up Chihiro and they left a message saying that they'd be back in a few days. Then Karin had Chihiro transform into her traveling form and they flew off toward the mountain streams.

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That night Gojyo went to check on Ran after having dinner with Sanzo and Goku and found that she was sitting up in her bed. "I take it you're feeling better then?" he asked walking into the room.

"Quite a bit actually," Ran replied happily. "I still can't get out of bed…but I am able to move my arms and sit up. Other than that I'm still pretty helpless."

"Well at least that's a start," Gojyo chuckled. "Ready for some dinner?"

"You bet," Ran said smiling warmly. Gojyo chuckled at her enthusiasm and this time set her food on her lap. "Mmm…this looks great," she murmured. Then she picked up her chopsticks and started to eat very slowly so as not to agrivate her back. "I haven't seen Hakkai or Karin around all day," she said through her food, "Any idea where they went?"

"Nope…not a clue," Gojyo told her. "Apparently they left shortly after lunch saying they'd be back in a couple days…but not where."

"I guess that just means we have to wait for them to get back," Ran murmured as she finished up her food. "If they stay gone long enough we might get some more time alone."

"Now that's a surprise coming from you," Gojyo stated in a serious voice. Then suddenly his face split into a grin and he took the food platter off of her lap, "I kind of like that."

Ran looked up at him questioningly and nearly gave a yelp as his arms slid beneath her and he easily lifted her up, managing to avoiding jostling her, thus avoiding causing her any pair or injury. "Goyjo… what…?" Ran began.

He just smiled and said, "You'll see." He carried her bridal style outside and easily lept up onto the rooftop, still cradling her in his arms. "Look up," he told her.

She did so and her mouth almost dropped open in awe. Up in the sky, several lights streaked across the black canopy. "A meteor shower?" she asked in amazement.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Goyjo said, happy that she semed to be enjoying the show.

"I-I haven't seen anything this gorgeous….since I left home," Ran whispered as she leaned her head against his chest. "Thanks Gojyo….I would have missed it if not for you."

"I'm glad you like it," Gojyo murmured, nuzzling her neck. "So do I remind you of that demonic jerk now?"

"Not even close," Ran whispered without second thought. "You're far better than he could have ever hoped to be."

"Heh… good to know," he said before making it to where neither could talk for a while.

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"Beautiful," Karin murmured as she watched the shower of stars from Chihiro's back.

"It certainly is," Hakkai whispered behind her.

"Hey Hakkai… do you believe there's a heaven?" Karin asked.

"Well, if there is, I certainly won't be going there," Hakkai admitted frankly.

"Why do you say that?" Karin asked in surprise.

"I've done too many terrible things."

"But you've done so many good things."

"Unfortunately a good deed doesn't undo the wrong that you've done," Hakkai told her honestly.

"Maybe not…but it does take precedence," Karin told him. "Your good deeds will always outweigh any bad."

Hakkai smiled. "I promise you, they would never let me in."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to follow you to the abyss," Karin said smiling.

"You know I could never let you do that?" Hakkai chuckled, giving her a nip on her neck.

"Meowr," Chihiro called out signaling their arrival at the mountain.

"Looks like we're here," Kat murmured, spying the stream down below.

"Yes…I say we find a nice secluded place to wait out the night," Hakkai stated. "After all…it might be one of the only nights we'll get alone."

"I like that idea," Karin said leaning back into him a little. "Mmm, some demons might attack us though."

"Well if they decide to wake us from our sleep I'm sure you'll deliver the final blow before they get too far," Hakkai chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked curiously.

"You don't know?" Hakkai asked surprised. "Well to put it simply, you sleep fight…and you fight a lot harder and angrier when you're asleep."

"I never got angry at you did I?" Karin asked after a moments thought.

"No…you only got mad at whoever woke you up," Hakkai replied with a laugh. Just then they landed in an area hidden by trees with a small cave off to their left.

"Oh…just don't wake me up then," Karin said with a smile.

Hakkai nodded and led the way to the cave with Chihiro riding on his shoulder. "Let's get some sleep…it should be easier to find that flower during the day."

"Alright," Karin agreed as she cradled Hakuryuu. The two animals curled up with each other on a flat rock while Hakkai and Karin found a soft patch of ground to sleep on. Karin rested against his warm body. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you," he murmured, nuzzling his nose against the back of her neck. "How late do you plan on staying up?"

"Not too late…after all we want to get up early tomorrow so we have more daylight to search by," Karin replied.

"Alright…then I won't bother you too much," Hakkai chuckled, nipping at her ear.

"You being a bother would be like Sanzo being a saint," Karin said as she found his hand and laced her fingers with his "Absolutely impossible."

xxxxxxxxx

There were no disturbances during the night and when morning came Karin and Hakkai were wide awake and ready to find what they came for. With Chihiro and Hakuryu's help they managed to find the stream in no time and started searching the area for rare blue roses.

"Hey boss….we spotted a member of the Sanzo party," a small demon cackled evily.

"Really…just one?"

"Yes….but he was with a small female," the demon reported.

"That should make him an easy target. Alright…here's the plan, you guys get a hold of that girl and we use her to completely annihilate that member of the Sanzo party."

"Hmm… maybe we can find a mountain trail," Karin said thoughtfully.

"This map isn't very helpful," Hakkai said studying it thoughtfully.

"Lemme see," Karin said peering over his shoulder.

As they were looking at the map several demons were spying at them on the cliff above. "Now's our chance. Everybody ready?" The head demon asked.

The others nodded in extreme excitement and as one dove for the pair down below. At that moment, however, Karin and Hakkai moved farther onto the trail causing the diving demons to collide and fall into the nearby stream. "Did you hear something?" Hakkai asked, turning around as the last demon disappeared under the water.

"I thought I did," Karin murmured in agreement. "Oh well…let's keep moving."

"You imbiciles…how could you miss them? That was the perfect opportunity," the boss shouted at them, once they made it back to shore.

"Sorry, boss," the all groaned in unison.

"Grr, no matter. There's still plenty of time and they managed not to see you, so we still have a chance."

"Look, fruit trees," Karin said pointing as they approached a grove of trees with ripe fruit growing. "We should collect some since we might be out here for a while."

"Good idea," Hakkai agreed.

He helped hoist Karin up the tree while he picked some fruit from below.

Meanwhile, the group of demons was hiding in the bushes. "Alright, when I say go, we nab the girl and attack the man."

"Oh dear, Karin, what do I do if one of these apples is no good?"

"Throw it silly," Karin said from above. "That way the seeds will get dispersed and more trees can grow.

"Alright then," Hakkai agreed. Then he tossed the apple behind him and knocked one of the demons in the head making him fall back, bumping into all the demons behind him and causing the entire group to fall off the edge of the cliff, which they were standing right in front of.

Their screams sounded throughout the forest and Hakkai turned to go check behind the bushes only to find the edge of the cliff and an endless forest down below. "Hakkai did you say something?" Karin asked climbing down from the tree.

"Nope…and it doesn't look like anyone else did either," Hakkai replied. He shrugged his shoulders and finished picking the apples along with Karin.

Once they finished with that task they headed farther into the forest making sure to keep the stream in sight so they know they're at least in the right area. They continued their search with little luck as all the bushes that were supposed to hold them were completely bare.

"Alright…we've failed the last two times," the boss muttered angrily. "But we will succeed this time."

"Right so what's the plan boss?"

"Easy…their guard is down and we're going to attack them," the boss explained. "First we'll use one of you to get his attention while the rest of us grab the girl. Once that's done two of us will hold her while the rest of you will destroy him."

They all nodded and took their positions behind the brush that was nearby. Then they shoved the smallest one out into the open where he shouted, "We've got you now…Sanzo party scum."

"We?" Hakkai asked raising an eyebrow. "Oh you mean the guys behind the brush?" With that he had Hakuryu change and run into the brush chasing off the rest of the demons and the one Hakkai had seen ran for his life. "Well that was interesting," he chuckled.

"Who were those guys?" Karin asked.

"I think those are the blood thirsty demons the elderly woman warned us about," Hakkai said with a small chuckle.

"Oh… hey look!" Karin pointed at the bush that the demons had been hiding in and nestled almost dead in the center was a blue rose with redthorns. "We must thank them if we ever see them again."

"Something tells me that if we did…they would empty their bowels," Hakkai said with a chuckle. "At any rate I doubt we'll have to worry about them again." He smiled and led the way back to their cave as the sun once again began to set.

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CM: Hehe, I gotta tell you, I couldn't stop myself from giggling when reading back through this. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. More excitement is still yet to come, so stay tuned!


	28. IMPORTANT NOTICE

CM: Hello everyone. I am sorry to say that there won't be an update with my stories for a while. My co author Shippoman is currently busy getting moved and preparing for her wedding, and I am busy having to relocate due to family issues of the worst kind. So once more, I am sorry, but I don't know how long it's going to be until we are able to update. You all have been wonderful and have given great and inspiring reviews, and i hope that you'll wait until we're able to start posting again. Thanks y'all!


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